
Class __£Llzi. 

Book. ' Ij 41 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




L. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



ESSENTIALS OF 



AMERICAN HISTORY 



P.V 



THOMAS BONAVENTURE LAWLER, A.M. 



" Let us raise a standard to which 
the wise and the honest can repair; 
the event is in the hand of God." 



'. ^i ^;: 



BOSTON, U.S.A. 
GINN & C OMPANY, PUBLISHERS 

d)c .3ltl)cnarum \}vtS6 

1902 



TNT'LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

T'»n Cciptts Recsived 

AUG. 21 1902 

S'^~~-»IGHT ENTPY 
_ Ct/XXc No. 

3> ^ ^ ( « 

CO^Y 8. 



Copyright, 1902, bv 
TH(3MAS BONAVENTURE LAWLER 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



PREFACE 

This work has been prepared to give as thorough 
a knowledge of the poHtical, industrial, and territorial 
development of our country as the limits of a text-book 
would allow. It endeavors to show the part played 
by all the elements, racial and religious, that have 
made contributions to American history. The author 
purposed to hold the scales evenly balanced on all 
questions and to appreciate the true motives which 
inspired the actions of our national leaders. 

For many valuable suggestions, the Reverend Louis 
S. Walsh, D.C.L., of Boston, Mass., has the heartiest 
thanks of the author. He is under especial obligation 
to Professor Edward Gaylord Bourne, of Yale Univer- 
sity ; every chapter of the book has been enriched by his 
scholarly suggestions and criticisms. 



T. B. L. 



New York Crrv, 
July 14, 1902. 



CONTENTS 

CuAiiKK Page 

I. The Great Xavigaioks i 

II. The Explorers 21 

III. The Karlv Missionaries 37 

IV. The Indians 44 

y. Permanent Colonial Settlements .... 50 

Yl. French Explorations loi 

VII. The Wars of the English and the French 

IN America 108 

VIII. Life in the Colonies in 1763 122 

IX. The Period of the Revolution 130 

X. Physical Features of the United States . 181 

XI. The Period of Union 185 

XII. The Period of Disunion 290 

XIII. The Period of Reunion 327 

XI\'. The Period of Industrial Development . . 346 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN 
HISTORY 

CHAPTER I 

THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 

1. The Voyages of the Northmen. — The first Europeans 
to visit North America were the Northmen, or Norse- 
men, who were so named because they Hved in the 
north of Europe. Some of these daring sailors, without 
a compass and trusting to the stars, cruised along the 
coasts of Europe, entered the Mediterranean, and pushed 
as far east as Constantinople ; others sailed westward to 
Iceland, where they established prosperous settlements 
as early as a.d. 874. Trading was carried on between 
these colonies and the continent of Europe. About a 
century later villages were built along the coast of Green- 
land, which the Northmen had in the meantime dis- 
covered. While these settlements were being made, 
missionaries had converted the people of Norway to 
Christianity.^ Among the converts was Leif Ericson, 

1 About 1 1 12 Eric Gnupsson was appointed Bishop of Greenland 
and Vinland. For three hundred years the Church was maintained in 
this country with a regular succession of Bishops, but disasters befell 
the people ; the settlements were attacked repeatedly, and finally 
destroyed by Eskimos ; the churches fell into decay, and at last all 
traces of Greenland passed from the knowledge of Europe. 

I 



2 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

who had come from Greenland to Norway on a brief 
visit. On returning home he took priests with him, 
and Iceland and Greenland were soon converted to 
Christianity. 

2. Leif Ericson discovers Vinland, A.D. looo. — The 
Norse spirit of adventure was not yet satisfied. Prob- 
ably about the year lOOO Leif Ericson resolved to 
go westward in search of a land of which he had 
heard from Norse navigators. With thirty-five men he 
sailed to the west and reached an unknown land, beau- 
tiful and thickly wooded. Cruising along the coast he 
cast anchor in a favorable bay and, landing, called the 
country Vinland from the large quantity of grapes found 
there. Loading his vessel with lumber, he returned 
home. The exact site of his landing will probably never 
be known. ^ 

It is probable that two other voyages were made to 
the shores of Vinland, but at length these journeys 
ceased. The explorations of the Northmen produced 
no lasting effect, as no colonies were founded and 
Vinland was soon forgotten. 

3. Europe in the Fifteenth Century. — The latter half 
of the fifteenth century is a period of the greatest impor- 
tance in the world's history. France, which had been 
waging war with England for one hundred years, was 
now at the beginning of a stronger and nobler national 

1 Leif Ericson is supposed to have landed in the vicinity of Narra- 
gansett bay, but there is nothing to prove that this is true. For a time 
it was thought that the old mill at Newport was built by the Northmen, 
but it was proved to be merely a stone windmill built by Governor 
Arnold in Revolutionary times. 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 3 

life. Spain by her victories over the Moors enjoyed 
the first place among European nations.^ With their 
strong royal power established, the kings of Spain and 
of France were now ready to embark in enterprises 
beyond the limits of their kingdoms. 

4, Need of a New Route to the Indies. — The trade of 
Europe was largely with the East, and was in the hands 
of two Italian city republics, Genoa and Venice. This 
trade was especially valuable, as the East supplied 
Europe with dyestuffs, shawls, spices, precious stones, 
ivory, and silks. The Genoese sailed to Constantinople, 
whence their vessels crossed the Black sea and met the 
caravans that came overland from the East or up the 
valley of the Tigris and the Euphrates. The Venetians 
controlled the southern route, with Alexandria as the 
chief port. This route through the Red sea and the 
Indian ocean was almost entirely by water. 

The wealth of this trade was so great that the two 
republics waged, during two hundred years, bitter war- 
fare for the supremacy of the sea. In 1453 a great dis- 
aster occurred in the East. A barbaric Tartar tribe 
called the Turks, who had overrun Asia Minor for two 
hundred years and for a century had been intrenched in 
eastern Europe, appeared before the walls of Constanti- 
nople. They besieged the mighty city with two hun- 
dred thousand men, and it fell after a short resistance. 
The cross, the emblem of Christianity, on the Church 

1 Printing had recently been invented, but books were still costly. 
The mariner's compass and other instruments for navigation were just 
coming into use. 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



of St. Sophia was replaced by the crescent, the emblem 
of Mohammedanism, and it remains to this day. Thus the 
gateway to the Black sea was in the hands of the barbaric 
Turks; the route of the Genoese traders was closed, and 




SOUTHERN ROUTE 

MIDDLE ROUTE ++ + + + 

NORTHERN ROUTE 



Routes of Trade between India and Cities of Southern Europe 

commerce by the Venetian route was made even more 
difficult by the levy of excessive transit dues in Egypt. 

5. Knowledge of the East ; the Franciscans and Marco 
Polo. — Men now sought anxiously a new route to the 
Indies, but their knowledge of the East was very vague. 
While the merchants of Genoa and Venice had been 
pushing their trade into Asia they had learned a little 
of the geography of these lands, and travelers had told 
of their wonderful experiences in the far East. In the 
middle of the thirteenth century Franciscan monks had 
visited the great khan, or emperor, of China and had 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 5 

seen the great ocean that formed, they declared, the 
eastern boundary of Asia. 

In 1295, Marco Polo, a Venetian, returned to his native 
city after an absence of twenty-four years. He had spent 
these long years in traveling in the East, going over- 
land through Asia to farthest China, where he lived for 
seventeen years at the court of the great khan. He 
returned by water to the Persian gulf and then overland 
to his native city. When he arrived no one knew him 
after so many years. His clothes were ragged and worn. 
Presently he drew forth precious stones and gold of great 
value and related the story of his wonderful exploits. He 
described India, China, the island of Cipango, or Japan, 
and told of the marvelous riches of the East. This 
narrative gradually became known and began in the fif- 
teenth century to exert a wide influence in awakening 
the desire of men to reach this golden land. Many plans 
were proposed, but none were successful until the great 
discoverer Christopher Columbus announced his belief 
in a westward route to the Indies. 

6. Christopher Columbus ; his Visit to Portugal. — In 
the fair city of Genoa, Christopher Columbus, the discov- 
erer of the New World, was born. At this time Genoa 
was the center of seafaring life. Her merchant vessels 
were on every ocean, and her men-of-war were constantly 
engaged in fighting Turks and pirates. Columbus was 
the son of an humble weaver and in the midst of the 
sailor life around him developed an earnest love of the sea. 
It is said, upon rather doubtful authority however, that 
he attended the University of Padua for two years, in 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



which time he became well versed in Latin, geography, 
astronomy, mathematics, and drawing. At fourteen 
years of age he became a sailor. For twenty-three years 




CPr.STOFOP.O COiOMJ^Os 



?/- K,.Ai yjAi 



HC^^-^ I D Y1 



f. 



./-"^■y-iv^ - .^^-. • 



Christopher Columbus 



he lived the perilous life of the mariner, at times fight- 
ing the pirates that overran the Mediterranean, at times 
battling with the Turks. About 1473 he reached Lisbon 
in Portugal, at that time the chief center of the spirit 
of discovery and adventure in Europe. The navigators 
and explorers here told of their wonderful journeys; the 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 7 

State spent large sums of money in spreading geograph- 
ical knowledge, and the science of navigation absorbed 
the minds of the citizens in their endeavors to find a new 
and shorter route to the Indies. Columbus suggested a 
solution of the problem. ^ 

7. Columbus proposes to sail West. — The world is 
round like a ball, he said, and by sailing directly west you 
can easily reach the East Indies. The common people 
believed the earth to be flat, but astronomers and learned 
men knew it was round. They had watched the vessels 
sink beneath the horizon ; they had seen the shadow 
of the earth in the eclipse of the moon, and they knew 
that the old Grecian philosophers and astronomers had 
declared the world to be round. Columbus studied the 
subject deeply and read what books he could get. He 
had often heard that wonderful, strange things had been 
washed ashore on the Cape Verde islands and other 
places by the waves of the Atlantic, — pieces of carved 
wood, huge trunks of pine trees, gigantic reeds, and espe- 
cially the bodies of two strange copper- colored men. 

8. Motives of Columbus ; he leaves Portugal and seeks 
the Aid of Spain. — Columbus was a man of deeply 

1 While in Lisbon, Columbus had earned a living by making maps 
and charts. In 1474 he wrote to a great Florentine geographer, 
Dr. Paolo Toscanelli, for a map which he had made, showing the route 
to Asia and Japan. This map was based on one made in 1459 by Fra 
Mauro, an eminent Italian monk and geographer, which may be seen to 
this day in the Doge's Palace in Venice. Toscanelli sent the desired 
map to him with letters of explanation. This map would have been 
.singularly correct had not the continent of America been directly in the 
way. Columbus used this map on his journey. In 187 1 the Inter- 
national Geographical Congress in Antwerp gave Toscanelli the title of 
" Inspirer of the Discovery of America." 



8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

religious nature. He had made profound studies in 
the sciences, but the leading motive of his life was the 
hope of seeing the Catholic religion believed by all the 
peoples of the world. He desired to spread the truths 
of the Gospel among the heathen nations and to plant 
the cross in distant lands.^ 

In 1 48 1 John n ascended the throne of Portugal and 
Columbus unfolded to him his plans. The king referred 
them to a learned council of his court, but they were 
rejected. 

In despair Columbus now left Portugal. It is thought 
he visited Genoa and Venice, and finally started for Spain 
to seek the aid of Ferdinand and Isabella. In i486 he 
arrived at the royal court in Cordova. At this time 
Spain was preparing for the battles against the Moors, 
and the preparations for the war and the excitement of 
the times delayed his reception by the king and queen. 
Finally he was invited to appear before them and to 
unfold his wondrous plans for the new route to Asia. 
The Spanish sovereigns called a council of learned men 
at the University of Salamanca to examine the charts 
and plans. They rejected the scheme as visionary. At 
length in 1491, five years after his arrival, Columbus 
resolved to leave Spain ^ and seek the aid of France. 

1 " He freely asserted his conviction," says Tarducci, '^ that he had 
been chosen by God from his earliest years to carry out two great 
undertakings: the discovery of a westward route to the Indies and, as a 
crusader, to recover the Holy Sepulchre from the Turks." 

2 So well known was Columbus that the boys ran after him in the 
streets and called him a madman. 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 9 

With his son, Diego,^ he started heartbroken on his 
dreary journey. 

9. Secures the Aid of Queen Isabella. — A short dis- 
tance from Palos^ he saw the Franciscan monastery of La 
Rabida.^ Foot-sore and hungry he asked for aid and had 
the good fortune to meet the prior, Father Juan Perez,'* 
who had been the confessor of Queen Isabella. Father 
Perez listened eagerly to the story of Columbus and 
believed in his projects. He visited the queen at once, 
and, returning, asked Columbus to go with him to the 
court. They set out together and soon reached Granada, 
when a new council was called. In this council sat the 
confessors of the royal household Talavera^ and the great 
Dominican Deza,^ for twenty years the faithful friend 
and protector of Columbus, the Archbishop of Toledo, 
and many others, all of whom actively favored the enter- 
prise. But the terms demanded '^ by Columbus were 
considered too great and in despair he left Granada. 
Father Santangel,^ however, hastened to Queen Isabella 
and persuaded her to agree to the terms of Columbus, 
A messenger was sent on a fleet horse, and Columbus was 
recalled. The queen granted his demands, offering, if 

1 Diego (Dee-ay'go). ^ Juan Perez (Whan Pay'raith). 

2 Palos (Pah'loce). ^ Talavera (Tah-lah-vay'rah). 

3 La Rabida (Lah Rah'bee-dah). ^ Deza (Dey'thah). 

' In return for the services he would render, Columbus demanded 
to be made admiral of the ocean, and governor of the islands and 
lands he would discover and to receive one tenth of the pearls, gold, 
precious stones, and other valuables found. Columbus vowed to 
devote this treasure to the rescue of the Holy Sepulcher from the 
Turks. ^ Santangel (Sahnt-ahn'hell). 



lO ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

it were necessary, to sell her crown jewels to secure 
sufficient money for the voyage.^ 

10. The Great Voyage. — Many difficulties still beset 
the daring navigator. Sailors were afraid to cross 
unknown seas, a distance of two thousand five hundred 
miles,^ as Columbus believed, inhabited, they had been 
informed, by fearful monsters. After great efforts he 
gathered ninety men for his three small vessels, which 
he called the Pinta, the Santa Maria^ and the Nina. «. 
On the third of August, 1492, all was ready for the 
great journey. At sunrise, while the whole population 
crowded the shore, Columbus received the final blessing 
of his devoted friend, the prior of La Rabida, hoisted 
sail, and with his three little vessels went forth on 
perhaps the most momentous journey of history. 

The first point reached was the Canary islands, where 
they were delayed three weeks for repairs. On the 
sixth of September, 1492, they sailed directly westward, 
and the terrified sailors saw the land disappear behind 
them and the unknown waste of waters around them on 
every side. New terrors constantly arose. They feared 
they might meet the monsters said to inhabit these 

1 Washington Irving declares Isabella to be one of the purest and 
most beautiful characters in the pages of history. 

2 It is indeed fortunate that Columbus did not know how far away 
India really was. Had he known it was ten thousand miles distant, it 
would probably have been impossible to secure ships and men even if 
he himself had had the courage to face such a journey. 

^ The Santa Maria (Mah-ree'ah) was a single-decked vessel and was 
commanded by Columbus. Neither the Pinta (Peen'tah) nor the 
AHna (Neen'yah) was decked amidships. They were commanded by 
the Pinzon brothers. 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 1 1 

regions; they believed if the world were round they 
could not sail up its sides again. Columbus had to 
cheer their spirits,^ overcome their fears, and rule with 
a firm hand the crews, daily becoming mutinous.^ Day 
after day they sailed westward, borne onward by the 
strong trade winds and the ocean currents. Fortunately 
after about four weeks they saw signs, indicating that 
land must be near, and on the evening of Oct. 1 1, 1492, 
Columbus saw a moving light in the distance. On the 
following morning the welcome cry, " Land ! " arose. A 
new world had been discovered. 

11. The Landing of Columbus, Oct. 12, 1492. — Hold- 
ing in his hand the banner of Spain, Columbus landed on 
the shore and took possession in the name of the Spanish 
sovereigns, Ferdinand and Isabella. He called the land 
San Salvador (Holy Redeemer).^ It was one of the 
islands called the Bahamas, but the exact island will 

1 The story that Columbus promised to turn back if land were not 
found in three days is not in keeping with the resoluteness of Colum- 
bus' character and is not generally believed by historical students. 

2 On October 7, Pinzon, noticing a flock of birds flying to the south- 
west, believed these l)irds were headed toward land and urged Columbus 
to change his course in that direction. He finally consented. It is 
probable, had he not made this change, he would have drifted with the 
Gulf Stream northward and sighted the stormy coasts of the Carolinas 
instead of the Bahamas. By making this change in his course he had 
only five hundred miles to travel before land would be sighted ; had he 
continued on a straight course, at least seven hundred miles would have 
had to be covered and dire results might have arisen from mutiny and 
other causes. 

3 To the first island I discovered, I gave the name of San Salvador, 
in commemoration of His Divine Majesty, who has wonderfully granted 
all this. — Lette?- of Colutnbiis. 



12 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

probably never be known. The natives were unlike any 
people he had ever seen. Believing he had reached the 
East Indies, he called the natives Indians. He now 
sailed southward and quickly reached the large island of 
Cuba, and the island of Haiti, which he named His- 
paniola. Here his best vessel, the Sa7tta Maria, was 
wrecked. Desiring to return to Spain, he built here a 
fort from the timbers of his wrecked vessel and, leaving 
a small colony of forty men, sailed on his homeward 
journey. 

12. Return of Columbus. — Columbus reached Palos on 
the 15th of March, 1493. The fame of his wonderful 
discoveries spread like wildfire. He was summoned 
to Barcelona to the presence of the king and queen and 
was received in triumph. He presented to them some 
of the wonders of the New World, — gold, birds, beasts, 
plants, and a few Indians whom he had brought back 
with him. A solemn Mass and Te Deum were sung in 
thanksgiving for his great achievements, and the king 
and queen fell on their knees in homage to God for 
the benefits granted to their kingdom. On Columbus 
were showered most signal honors. He was appointed 
admiral, the king's viceroy in the New World, and was 
to receive one tenth of all the gold and precious stones 
found in the new possessions. ^ 

13. Later Voyages of Columbus. — In September, 1 493 , 
only seven months after his return, he set out once more 
across the western seas. Those who had scoffed at 
his first voyage now sought to accompany him on his 
second journey. He founded a colony on the present 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 13 

island of Haiti and discovered Jamaica, Porto Rico, and 
the islands of the Caribbean sea.^ In the following year 
he made a third voyage, discovering the island of Trinidad 
and the Orinoco river. His efforts to find a way into 
the Indian ocean had been unsuccessful. The popular 
discontent at the failure to find gold^ increased daily, 
and the cost of the voyages was so great that the court 
lost interest in him.-'^ 

He made one more attempt. In 1502 he sailed west- 
ward, visiting Honduras and the isthmus of Panama. 
He died broken-hearted, in neglect, on May 20, 1506. 
To the hour of his death he believed he had reached 
Asia by the best and most direct route. He never 
knew he had given to mankind a new world. 

14. John Cabot's Voyage. — In the meantime the dis- 
coveries of Columbus stirred other adventurous spirits. 

1 The unfortunate natives, by a system of slavery, were kept by the 
Spaniards in the mines at hard labor until they perished by thousands. 
Bartolome de Las Casas, the noble Dominican, with all his power tried 
to better the condition -of the natives. In this noble work he was 
assisted by Father Antonio Montesino, another Dominican. The names 
of Las Casas and Montesino will ever be remembered by those whose 
hearts beat for a suffering humanity. 

2 When Columbus touched at Santo Domingo he was arrested on 
false charges by the Spanish governor and, being placed in chains, was 
sent to Spain. The captain of the ship desired to remove them; but 
Columbus refused, and he wore them till he reached the court, where 
Isabella cordially received the old admiral and with tears in her eyes 
ordered the removal of the chains. Full justice was not done him, 
however, as he never again obtained the powers granted in his contract. 

3 The Portuguese had been trying for many years to find a water 
route to India by sailing around Africa. At last Vasco da Gama doubled 
the cape of Good Hope and in 1498 reached India. As a result of this 
discovery, popular interest was lost in the achievements of Columbus. 



14 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

There resided in England an Italian, John Cabot ^ by 
name, who was commissioned by Henry VII, king of 
England, to seek a northern route for the spice trade. 
Cabot sailed from Bristol May, 1497, in a single vessel 
and discovered the continent of America, probably on 
the coast of Labrador, June 24. Believing he had dis- 
covered Asia, he landed and, erecting a large cross 
bearing aloft the flag of England, he claimed the entire 
country in behalf of the king of England. A year 
later, April, 1498, with his son Sebastian Cabot, he 
returned and explored the coast as far south as perhaps 
Cape Hatteras.2 These voyages are most important, as 
they gave England a claim to the Atlantic seaboard and 
the right to colonize North America, although one 
hundred years were allowed to pass before a permanent 
settlement was made. 

15. Division of the World. — After the return of Colum- 
bus from his great voyage Spain and Portugal began to 
disagree as to the ownership of lands yet to be discov- 
ered. The matter was referred to His Holiness Pope 
Alexander VI by the sovereigns of the nations. To 
settle the conflicting claims, the Pope finally divided 
the world ^ by a meridian line drawn very nearly 

1 Cabot (Cab'ot). His name in Italian was Caboto-. 

- On his return Cabot was called the " Great Admiral " and was 
dressed in beautiful silks. For giving him the title to North America, 
the king presented him with fifty dollars and a pension, to be paid for, 
however, by the port of Bristol. 

2 At first this imaginary line was drawn from pole to pole one hun- 
dred leagues west of the Azores or the Cape Verde islands, but King 
John of Portugal was dissatisfied. In 1494 the line was drawn three 
hundred and seventy leagues from the Cape Verde islands. This 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 15 

midway through the Atlantic. He gave to Portugal all 
pagan lands discovered by the Portuguese east of this 
line, and to Spain all pagan lands west of it.^ 

16. The Voyage of Vasco da Gama to India ; Cabral's 
Journey. — Only five years after the discovery of Amer- 
ica the Portuguese at last found their long-coveted route 
around Africa. In 1497 the great captain Vasco da 
Gama, starting from Lisbon, sailed around the cape of 
Good Hope and reached India. In 1499 he returned 
in triumph with his vessels laden with the spices, 
silks, bronzes, ivory, and precious stones of the East. 
Da Gama had found the sea route which Columbus had 
sought in vain. This discovery turned the attention of 
European navigators to the new route, and for some 
years no further voyages were made to North America. 

Within a few months, however, in 1499, a Portuguese 
navigator, Cabral,^ sailed with a fleet of thirteen ships 
for India. He put out boldly to sea and drifted so far 

change later gave Portugal title to a part of the South American conti- 
nent. "As between the Christian nations, the Sovereign Pontiff was 
the supreme arbiter of conflicting claims ; hence the famous bull issued 
by Pope Alexander \T in 1493." — Wheatun's Elements of Inter- 
natioual Law, Vol. II, Chap. IV. 

At thistime practically the entire Christian world was in communion 
with the See of Rome, and all the early great discoverers — Columbus, 
Cabot, Vespucius, Da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and Balboa — were 
Catholics. 

1 Franciscan missionaries came with Columbus to the New World. 
From time to time their numbers were increased, until they had preached 
the Gospel from Florida to the Pacific and from the Colorado to Pata- 
gonia. In the Antilles, in our southwest, in Mexico, Peru, Chili, Para- 
guay, and Argentina their monasteries were the center whence civilization 
and religion flowed to the native tribes. - Cabral (Cah-brahF). 



l6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

from the African coast that, to his amazement, he saw- 
land to the west one April morning in the year 1500. 
It was that part of the coast of South America now 
called Brazil. If it were east of the Line of Demarca- 
tion, it belonged to Portugal. He soon discovered that 
it was east, and sent a vessel back to Lisbon with the 
news of his good fortune. 

17. Americus Vespucius. — The king of Portugal acted 
promptly. He fitted out a fleet of three ships and gave 
the command of it to a Florentine merchant and trav- 
eler, Americus Vespucius.^ In May, 1501, the fleet 
sailed westward from Lisbon, sighting South America 
at cape St. Roque in Brazil. They skirted the coast 
as far south as the river La Plata. Vespucius now 
turned southward to keep east of the Line of Demar- 
cation and sailed until the Antarctic ice fields blocked 
his way. He then returned to Lisbon. 

18. The Name of America. — Vespucius made another 
voyage to the southern continent, and in 1504 published 
an account of what he had seen in the New World. His 
voyages were of great importance.- They proved the 
existence of a new continent, secured Brazil for the 
Portuguese crown, and resulted in giving the name 

1 Americus Vespucius (Amei'icus Vespu'cius) is a Latinized form of 
the navigator's name, the Italian form being Amerigo Vespucci (Ah-mah- 
ree'go Ves-poot'chee). Vespucius is said to have been the pilot of a 
fleet, commanded by Pinzon, one of Columbus' old officers, which, 
sailing in 1497, visited Honduras, entered the gulf of Mexico, and passing 
between Cuba and Florida explored the coast as far north as Chesa- 
peake bay, thus sighting the mainland of the New World before Colum- 
bus or the Cabots. Many historians, however, do not believe Vespucius 
ever made this journey. 




I? 



l8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

America to the western hemisphere. The description 
of the new world which he had made fell into the 
hands of a German, Martin Waldseemuller,^ a teacher 
of geography in a little college at St. Die,^ in eastern 
France. In 1507 the paper of Vespucius was printed 
on the college press and contained the suggestion that 
the new-found land should be named America in honor 
of Americus Vespucius, as Waldseemiiller supposed 
Vespucius had discovered it. The name was placed on 
the maps of that time ; at first only on Brazil, later on 
South America, and still later was given to the whole 
western hemisphere. Thus Columbus was deprived of 
the great honor of having his name given to the new 
world he had discovered. 

19. Discovery of the Pacific Ocean, 1513. — In the 
year 1513a Spanish navigator and adventurer, Balboa, 
hoped to repair his broken fortunes by seeking the wealth 
of the New World. While exploring the isthmus of 
Panama, he was told by an Indian chief of a great sea 
to the west beyond the mountains and of lands whose 
shores were filled with gold and silver. Balboa thereupon 
pushed eagerly onward and reaching the crest of the 
ridge July 25, 15 13, saw ^ before him the greatest of 

1 Waldseemiiller (Valt'zay-muhl-ler). 

2 St. Die (San De-ay'). 

^ It was a sight in beholding which for the first time any man would 
wish to be alone. Balboa had his men sit down while he ascended and 
then in solitude looked down on the vast Pacific. Falling on his knees, 
he gave thanks to God for the favor shown to him in his being permitted 
to discover the Sea of the South. Then he beckoned to his men to 
come up. Both he and they knelt down and poured forth their thanks 
to God. — Sir Arthur Helps. 



THE GREAT NAVIGATORS 1 9 

earth's oceans. On reaching the shore he waded into 
the sea and claimed possession of this vast body of water, 
together with all the bordering lands, for the crown of 
Spain. As the sea was south of the isthmus of Panama 
where he stood, he called it the South sea to distinguish 
it from the North sea, as the Caribbean was called by 
the Spaniards. 

20. The Voyage of Magellan. — Seven years later a 
native of Portugal, P'erdinand Magellan, having had 
some differences with his king, offered his services to 
Charles V of Spain, declaring his ability to find a shorter 
route to the rich Spice islands than was known to the 
world. The fleet of five ships was fitted out and sailed 
westward. Believing that he could find south of the 
La Plata river a strait leading to the South sea, he 
skirted the coast of South America until he entered the 
straits which have since borne his name. 

He soon reached the great waste of waters named by 
Balboa the South sea, but which he called the Pacific 
ocean because it was so calm.^ Sailing across this 
broad ocean, he discovered the Philippines. In an 
encounter with the natives of these islands he lost 
his life. The journey was continued under one of 

1 For three months and twenty days ^lagellan sailed on the Pacific 
and never saw inhabited land. He was compelled by famine to strip off 
the pieces of skin and leather wherewith his rigging was here and there 
bound, to soak them in the sea and then soften them, so as to make a 
wretched food ; to drink water gone putrid by keeping, and yet he reso- 
lutely held on his course, though his men were dying daily. — Draper's 
History of Intellectual Development of Europe, Chap. XIX. 

The best authority on Magellan is Guillemard, 



20 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Magellan's captains, Sebastian del Cano. He rounded 
the cape of Good Hope in the only vessel that remained 
out of the five and reached Spain in 1522, bearing 
with him Magellan's written report of the expedition 
and a map of the route. This was the first voyage 
around the world. It proved beyond question the rotun- 
dity of the earth, that South America was a continent, 
and that Columbus had discovered, not Asia, but a new 
world. 

SUMMARY 

In A.D. 1000 Leif Ericson, with a party of Northmen, visited 
the coast of New England. No permanent settlements were 
made and the Norse voyages were soon forgotten. 

In 1492 Christopher Columbus, an Italian, sailing under the 
flag of Spain, in trying to find a westward route to the Indies 
discovered the West India islands. 

In 1497 John Cabot, an Italian, sailing under the patronage of 
England, discovered the continent of North America. 

In 1504 Americus Vespucius, an Italian, after two voyages to the 
New World, published a description of what he had seen. From 
this book the name America was given to the western hemisphere. 

In 1 5 13 Balboa, a Spaniard, explored the isthmus of Panama 
and discovered the Pacific ocean. 

In 1 519 Magellan circumnavigated the world, proving it to be 
a globe. ^ 

1 No American should ever forget the debt of gratitude we owe to 
Spain for her early efforts in discovering and civilizing America. The 
Spanish . . . built the first cities, opened the first churches, schools and 
universities ; brought the first printing presses, made the first books, wrote 
the first dictionaries, histories and geographies. ... By 1575, nearly 
a century before there was a printing press in English America, many 
books in twelve different Indian languages had been printed in the 
City of Mexico . . . and three Spanish universities in America were 
nearly rounding out their century when Harvard was founded. — C F. 
LuMMis, The Spanish Pioneers, p. 23. 



CHAPTER II 
THE EXPLORERS 

21. Ponce de Leon, 15 13. — The first Spanish expedition 
into North America was led by Ponce de Leon,^ who 
had accompanied Columbus on his second voyage, and 
had been later a governor of one of the West Indies. 
Hearing from the Indians of a country possessing gold 
and a wonderful spring that would restore youth to the 
aged, in March, 1 5 1 3, with three ships, fitted out at his 
own expense, he sailed from Porto Rico. On Easter 
Sunday, 1 5 1 3, he came in view of the coast near the site 
of the present city of St. Augustine and called the land 
Florida from Pascua Florida,^ the Spanish name for 
Easter. Eight years later he attempted to found a 
settlement on this coast but was mortally wounded by 
the Indians. He returned to Cuba to die, and the first 
attempt to found a colony within the present limits of 
the United States ended in disaster. 

22. The Conquest of Mexico, 15 19. — The Spanish voy- 
agers had heard stories from time to time of the fabulous 
wealth of an Indian confederacy, the Aztecs,^ in Mexico, 

1 Ponce de Leon (Pon'thay da Lay-ohn'). 

2 Pascua Florida (Pahs'quah Flo-ree'dah). 

^ This confederacy consisted of three tribes, in a condition of bar- 
barism. They were without iron tools or domestic animals ; they 
offered human sacrifices and resorted to cannibalism. The grandeur of 
the so-called " Empire" of Montezuma is a myth. 

21 



22 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



and an expedition under Hernando Cortes ^ set out from 
Cuba to conquer the country. Landing on the site of the 
present city of Vera Cruz in the spring of 1 5 19, with only 
four hundred and fifty men, Cortes started on his march 
of more than two hundred miles through an unknown 
country filled with hostile foes.^ The Aztecs had won the 




Spanish Explorations 

undying hate of neighboring tribes because of their inhu- 
man and revolting cruelty. This fact saved Cortes and 
his little band, for he soon made an alliance with the ene- 
mies of the Aztecs, and after two years of desperate fight- 
ing, in which the Spaniards suffered many reverses, the 
power of the Aztecs was broken and Spain took possession 
of the country. 

1 Hernando Cortes (Air-nahn'doh Cor-tace'). 

- To prevent a rebellion among his troops, he sank all his ships. 
The only hope of safety for the men now lay in conquering the country. 



THE EXPLORERS 23 

23. De Ayllon's Expedition, 1526. — A wealthy Span- 
iard, De Ayllon, who hved in Santo Domingo, determined 
to plant a colony on the Atlantic coast and sailed north- 
ward, in June, 1526, with three vessels, containing six 
hundred colonists.^ He reached the James river and 
made a settlement on the very spot, it is supposed, 
where eighty-one years later the English planted their 
first permanent settlement. He called his colony San 
Miguel^ (St. Michael). He used negro slaves to do the 
heaviest work, the first use of negro slave labor within 
the territory of our present Union. The terrible winter 
that followed killfed many of the colonists ; others were 
tomahawked by the Indians ; mutinies arose on every 
hand, and finally De Ayllon himself died in October, 
1526. In the following spring the survivors, one hun- 
dred and fifty in number, embarked for Santo Domingo. 
This was the only attempt of the Spaniards to found a 
settlement north of St. Augustine. 

24. De Narvaez's Expedition, 1528. — In 1528 Panfilo 
de Narvaez,^ hoping to rival the brilliant exploits of 
Cortes, set out to conquer the land to the north of the 
gulf of Mexico. Indians had been seen at Mobile bay 
wearing ornaments of gold, which had come, they said, 
from a country to the north. With four ships and four 

1 The emperor of Spain, Charles V, ordered De Ayllon (Day 
Ah-eel-yohn') to carry missionaries with him at the expense of the 
crown. The emperor wrote : " Our principal interest in the discovery 
of new lands is that the inhabitants and natives thereof, who are with- 
out the light of the knowledge of faith may be brought to understand 
the truths of our holy Catholic faith." 

^ San Miguel (Sahn IMee-gale'). 

^ Panfilo de Narvaez (Pahn'fee-lo day Nahr-vah'aith). 



24 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

hundred men Narvaez sailed from Cuba and soon reached 
Tampa bay. Leaving the ships for a short exploration 
he marched inland ; but disasters quickly overtook him. 
His treatment of the Indians was so cruel that they 
attacked him at every point. Narvaez tried in vain to 
find the ships again and wandered hither and thither 
along the coast. Some of the expedition at last built 
boats and rowed along the shore to the mouth of the 
Mississippi, where Narvaez was drowned ; the expedition 
was scattered, and four survivors, one of -them an officer 
named Cabeza de Vaca,^ fell into the hands of the Indians. 
They wandered from tribe to tribe until, after nine years 
and a journey of two thousand miles, they reached the 
western coast of Mexico. Cabeza de Vaca told wonder- 
ful stories of the immense herds of buffaloes he had seen 
and of the fabulously wealthy cities in the interior. 

25. Coronado's Expedition, 1540. — The Spanish vice- 
roy of Mexico, Mendoza, hearing the wonderful tales 
told by Vaca and his companions, determined to find these 
rich cities, and sent a Franciscan monk, Father Mark, 
a native of Nice, to search for them. He penetrated 
probably as far north as the Zuni pueblo (or settlement) 
of New Mexico, which he saw from a distance. His 
little force was attacked, and he returned to Mendoza 
with an account of his journey. Believing they had 
found the famous ** seven cities of Cibola,"^ Coronado, 

1 Cabeza de Vaca (Cah-bay'thah day Vah'cah). 

2 Cibola (Thee-boh'lah). It was a tradition that on the conquest of 
the Spanish peninsula by the Moors in the eighth century, a bishop had 
fled from Lisbon \Yith his followers across the sea and founded seven 
rich cities. The Spaniards believed they had now found these cities. 



THE EXPLORERS 25 

who was at that time governor of a Mexican prov- 
ince, was dispatched with one thousand one hundred 
men to conquer them and bear away their treasures. 
He attacked and ransacked the first of these cities, but 
nothing vahiable was found. The rude houses were 
made of sunburnt clay, and the poverty of the natives 
showed that gokl was an unknown article. He now 
roamed over those vast deserts and plains covered with 
buffaloes,^ discovered the canon of the Colorado, pene- 
trated as far north as the Platte river and eastward to 
the Mississippi, where he is said to have erected a cross 
bearing the inscription : " Thus far came the General 
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado."^ He returned to 
Mexico in 1542, disappointed at his failure.^ 

26. De Soto's Conquest of Florida, 1539 ; Discovery of 
the Mississippi. — In the meantime another Spaniard, 
Hernando de Soto, who had been appointed governor of 
Cuba in 1531, decided to try his fortunes in the search 
for the gold country. In May, 1539, he landed at 
Tampa bay with about five hundred and seventy men 
and two hundred horses. He advanced slowly north- 
ward through the swamps and jungles, suffering bitter 

1 In nine days' march I reached some plams so vast that I did not 
find their limit anywhere that I went, although I travelled more than 
three hundred leagues through them. And I found such a quantity 
of cows [buffaloes] that it is impossible to number them. — Letter of 
Coronado. 

2 Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (Frahn-thees'co Vahs'quaith 
day Co-ro-nah'doh). 

3 Forty years later (15S2) the Spanish Franciscans founded Santa Fe, 
the second oldest city in the United States. Some authorities give the 
date of this foundation as 1605. 



26 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

hardships. His way led amongst the most savage Indian 
tribes, the Seminoles, Choctaws, Creeks, and Chickasaws. 
In the course of a year, after traversing the states of 
Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, they reached the 
"Father of Waters,"^ the Mississippi. Crossing this 
river, they marched westward through the present state 
of Arkansas. Finding nothing of value, they turned 
southward, and in the spring of 1541, two years after 
they had started, they again came upon the Mississippi 
at the point where the Red river enters it. Here De 
Soto died, and to conceal his death from the Indians, 
who feared him, he was buried in the waters of the great 
river he had discovered. Nearly half of the expedition 
had died of fever and of wounds inflicted by the Indians. 
The survivors built rude boats and sailed down the river 
to the gulf of Mexico, where they made their way to 
the Spanish settlements. 

FRENCH EXPLORATIONS 

27. Verrazano's Voyage. — For some time after the 
division of the world between Spain and Portugal, France 
did nothing of importance in the way of exploration. In 
1523, Francis I, king of France, desiring to obtain a 
share of the territory in the New World, sent Verra- 
zano, a native of Florence but now in the French service, 
on a voyage of discovery. Sighting land near cape 

1 The first European to see the Mississippi river was Alvarez de 
Pineda (Ahl-vah'raith day Pee-nay'dah), who discovered its mouth and 
spent six weeks cruising upon it. He named it Rio de Santo Espiritu 
(River of the Holy Ghost). 



THE EXPLORERS 27 

Hatteras in 1524, he cruised along the Atlantic coast 
northward. He soon entered the present harbor of New 
York, which he compared to a beautiful lake. After 
cruising along the shores of what is now Long Island, 
he discovered and entered Narragansett bay and sailed 
along the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine — probably 
the first European to trace the Atlantic coast from the 
mouth of the Chesapeake to the bay of Fundy. On 
his return he wrote a letter to the French king describ- 
ing his voyage, which is the earliest description known 
to exist of the coast of the United States. 

28. Cartier's Explorations. — The war which was now 
being waged between France and Spain prevented further 
explorations for some years. In 1534 the ancient town 
of St.-Malo, with its battlements and turrets frowning 
over the surging ocean, was the scene of preparations for 
an expedition which was destined to be of the greatest 
importance to France. In April of that year Cartier^ 
sailed to the west and discovered the land since called 
Newfoundland. Passing through the straits of Belle 
Isle, he sailed into a gulf which he called the gulf of 
St. Lawrence, because it was the feast day (August 10) 
of that saint. As the winter was approaching, they 
returned to France. 

Cartier prepared at once for another voyage, and on 
the morning of May 16, 1535, he assembled the officers 
and crew of his three vessels in the cathedral of St.-Malo, 
where they received the blessing of the bishop and sailed 
for the St. Lawrence. Entering this mighty river, he 

1 Cartier (Car-tee-ay')- 



28 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

sailed onward, passing the mouth of the Saguenay, and 
still further the towering promontory with its bold cliffs, 
rugged against the sky, — the heights where later rose the 
fortifications of Quebec. Cartier with his Indian pilots 
pushed on up the river, whose banks were covered with 
forests festooned with grapevines, and whose waters 
were alive with wild fowl of every description. They 
reached Hochelaga, as the spot was called by the Indians. 
Cartier named it Montreal, or Royal Mountain, and 
claimed possession of the country for the king of 
France. 

29. Founding of Port Royal, 1605. — On Cartier's 
return civil wars so disturbed the kingdom of France 
that seventy years elapsed before another expedition 
was fitted out for colonization purposes, although hun- 
dreds of vessels sailed for fish every year to the Banks 
of Newfoundland. In 1604 a French nobleman, Sieur 
De Monts,^ obtained a grant to colonize Acadia, a name 
given to the region from the fortieth to the forty-sixth 
parallel of north latitude, or from Philadelphia to Halifax. 
The expedition sailed in the spring of 1604, cruised 
along the coast, explored the bay of Fundy, and finally 
established a settlement at Port Royal,^ now Annapolis, 
Nova Scotia. 

1 Sieur De Monts (See-ur' Ue Mong). 

2 In 1 61 3 an English expedition from Jamestown utterly destroyed 
Port Royal. Another settlement, St. Sauveur, on Mount Desert island, 
had been destroyed a short time before by the English. Fathers Biard 
and Masse, the first Jesuit missionaries on American territory, were 
seized, the latter being put adrift at sea in an open boat, while the 
former, with another Jesuit, was taken to Jamestown and was later sent 
to France. 



THE EXPLORERS 29 

30. Champlain founds Quebec, 1608. — Among De 
Monts's companions was a captain of the royal navy, 
Samuel de Champlain, a brave soldier, a tireless and scien- 
tific explorer, whose love of France was equaled only by 
his desire to Christianize and civilize the Indians. He 
has been rightly named *'The Father of New France." 
Sailing up the majestic river, past the wooded banks 
where the Indian camps sent up their curly wreaths of 
smoke, Champlain landed on the site of Quebec, and 
here was established, in 1608, a trading colony, the first 
permanent French settlement in America.^ 

31. Discovery of Lake Champlain. — Soon after his 
arrival Champlain joined the allied army of the Hurons 
and the Algonquins, who were at war with the fierce 
Iroquois. Moving down the river, called Richelieu from 
the great cardinal of France, Champlain saw before him 
the superb lake that now bears his name.^ It was dotted 
with islands ; its banks were covered with dark hem- 
locks and pines; while on the eastern horizon rose the 
Green mountains, and to the west stretched the Adiron- 
dacks, where roamed the Iroquois. The forces met at 
the head of the lake, and the Iroquois, panic-stricken 
at the noise of Champlain's guns, fled for their lives.^ 
During the next twenty-seven years Champlain journeyed 

^ The attempt made to found a settlement at Port Royal, Nova 
.Scotia, in 1605 was a failure. Five years later a permanent settlement 
was made, but Quebec had already been founded two years. 

^ Champlain also discovered lake Ontario and lake Huron. 

^ The victory of Champlain was a costly one for France. From this 
time the Iroquois, the strongest Indian confederation on the continent, 
were the relentless, cruel enemies of the French and the allies of Eng- 
land, a fact the importance of which cannot be overestimated. 



30 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



over the vast northern wilds from the Kennebec to the 
strait of Mackinac, with the aid of the Franciscans 
and the Jesuits estabhshing missions and trading posts 
along the rivers and lakes. 
''Peaceful, benign, be- 
neficent," says Parkman, 
" were the weapons of this 
conquest. France aimed 




to subdue, not 
by the sword but 
by the cross ; 
not to over- 
whelm and crush 
the nations. She 
invaded but to 
convert, to civi- 
lize and embrace 
them among her 
children." 
32. The French 
in Florida. — In 1562, Coligny,i the leader of the Hugue- 
nots, or French Protestants, decided to found a colony 
in America, and John Ribaut^ led an expedition to 

1 Coligny (Co-leen'ye). 2 Rj^aut (Ree-bo'). 



French Explorations and Settlements 



THE EXPLORERS 3 I 

South Carolina, where a fort was built at Port Royal. 
Leaving thirty settlers, Ribaut returned to P'rance. 
The settlement was a failure. The colonists mutinied, 
put to sea in a worthless, leaky vessel, and would have 
perished probably, had they not been picked up by an 
Ene:lish slave vessel which took them to London. The 
following year, 1564, a second party of three vessels, 
under the leadership of Laudonniere,^ built a fort on the 
St. Johns river in P^lorida and called it Fort Caroline, in 
honor of the king of France, Charles IX. Here they 
were joined later by Ribaut with reenforcements. 

33. Menendez destroys the French Settlement. — Spain 
claimed P'lorida by right of the discovery of Columbus 
and Ponce de Leon's exploration. Accordingly, an 
officer of the royal navy, Pedro Menendez,^ was sent to 
drive out the French. The French saw with alarm the 
Spanish vessels off the mouth of the river, and at once 
preparations were made by both forces for an attack. 
Menendez, however, sailed down the coast a short dis- 
tance and landing built a fort, which in honor of the 
day he called St. Augustine (1565). This was the first 
permanent European settlement within the present limits 
of the United States.^ Ribaut followed a few days later, 
hoping to catch the Spaniards unprepared. Just as the 
French ships were bearing down on the enemy a hurri- 
cane scattered the squadron in all directions. Menendez, 

^ T>audonniere (Low-don-nee-air'). 
2 Pedro Menendez (Pay'dro May-nen'daith). 

^ Twenty-one years later St. Augustine was attacked by the English 
under Drake and destroyed, but it was rebuilt. 



32 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

in the meantime, had hurried to Fort CaroHne and easily 
captured it. Every man in the garrison was put to death.^ 

34. De Gourgues's Revenge. — To avenge his country- 
men, a Frenchman named De Gourgues^ fitted out, at 
his own expense, a secret expedition of three vessels. 
Sailing for Florida, he surprised the Spanish garrison 
that guarded the Spanish fort and hanged every man 
within it. As no further attempts at colonization were 
made by France in that section, Spain kept possession 
of Florida. 

ENGLISH EXPLORATIONS 

35. Drake^s Voyage. — For almost one hundred years 
after the voyages of the Cabots, the English appeared 
to lose interest in the work of exploration. In 1576 Sir 
Martin Frobisher attempted in vain to find a northwest 
passage to Asia. In the following year, 1577, Sir Francis 
Drake sailed from Plymouth with four vessels toward 
South America. He lost three of his vessels, but with 
the remaining one, the Pelican, passed in October, 1578, 
the strait of Magellan. He journeyed northward along 
the western shore of South America and the coasts of 
Mexico and California, robbing the rich Spanish vessels 
and plundering the Spanish towns. He sailed as far 

1 The history of these times is filled with the stories of heartless 
cruelties. When the French took Havana they put all the inhabitants 
to the sword, while the English corsairs always put to death the Spanish 
sailors they captured. The shipwrecked mariners of the Armada were 
butchered in attempting to save themselves on the coast of Ireland. 
This, however, is no justification for the inhuman barbarities of Menendez. 

'■^ De Gourgues (De Goorg). 



THE EXPLORERS 33 

north as Oregon, and then, returning because of the 
cold, made a landing near the present city of San 
Francisco and took possession of the country in the 
name of the British crown, calling it New Albion.^ He 
returned by way of the cape of Good Hope, and thus 
made the second circumnavigation of the world. 

In 1578 Sir Humphrey Gilbert obtained from Queen 
Elizabeth a charter which granted to him any new 
land he might discover in America. In the colony he 
intended to found he hoped to give a refuge to the per- 
secuted Catholics of England. He made three voyages. 
On the third, in 1583, he touched Newfoundland, and 
claimed it for the queen, but he and his ship were lost 
at sea on the return voyage.^ 

36. The Raleigh Colonists. — Gilbert's grant was now 
transferred to his half-brother, the famous Sir Walter 
Raleigh, and in 1584 he obtained from Elizabeth per- 
mission to make a settlement upon any territory not 
already occupied by any Christian power. The expedi- 
tion landed at Roanoke island, off the coast of the 
present state of North Carolina. So favorable were 
the reports that Elizabeth called it Virginia, in honor of 
herself. In the following year, 1585, emigrants from 
England landed, and a town w^as founded. It was a 
signal failure. All who did not perish from starvation 

1 Albion was the name given to England because of the white (Latin, 
albus) cliffs of Dover. As the coast here resembled the English shore, 
Drake named it New Albion. 

2 John Davis, an English navigator, attempted in three voyages 
(i 585-1 587) to find a northwest passage. He discovered the strait that 
bears his name. 



34 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



returned with Sir Francis Drake, who happened to be 
saiUng homeward that way. Among the articles brought 
by Raleigh's colonists to England w^re dried tobacco 
leaves and potatoes. He planted these potatoes on his 
estate in Ireland. They did not come into general 
use, however, before the eighteenth century. In 1587 
Raleigh determined to send out another colony, this 
time to Chesapeake bay, under John White as governor. 

The settlement 




was for some 
unknown reason 
made again on 
Roanoke island, 
and White returned 
to London for sup- 
plies, leaving with 
the colonists his 
wife, his daughter, 
and his gran d- 
daughter, Virginia 
Dare, the first child 
born of English 
parents in America. He was detained in England for 
three years, probably because of the war with Spain, and 
when he finally reached the site of the settlement not a 
trace of the colonists could be found. They had dis- 
appeared, and the mystery has never been solved.^ 



English Explorations 



1 The only trace of the lost colony was the word " Croatoan " cut in 
the bark of a tree. This was the name of a small island near by, but 
nothing was found there, however, to show the fate of the colonists. 



THE EXPLORERS 35 

Raleigh's funds were now exhausted. He had spent an 
equivalent in our money of one million dollars, and his 
interests were assigned in 1581 to a stock company of 
merchants, who, however, made no effort to continue 
Raleigh's work. 

37. The Voyages of Gosnold and Pring. — In March, 
1602, an English navigator, Bartholomew Gosnold, sailing 
westward directly across the Atlantic from the Azores 
instead of following the long, circuitous route by way 
of the West Indies and Florida, reached a cape which 
he called cape Cod from the large number of codfish 
found in the waters thereabout. Passing southward, he 
landed and built a trading house on one of the Elizabeth 
islands at the mouth of Buzzards bay. Filling his 
ships with a valuable cargo of sassafras and cedar logs, 
he prepared to return, but the colonists refused to remain ; 
hence all returned to England. Gosnold accomplished 
nothing except perhaps to show a short route across the 
Atlantic. 

In 1603 Martin Pring, in search of sassafras, visited 
Plymouth harbor, calling it Whitsunday bay. Two years 
later, 1605, George Weymouth cruised along the coast 
of Maine. 

SUMMARY 

The Spanish. — Ponce de Leon, in 1513, visited Florida and 
gave it its name. His attempt to found a colony eight years later 
was a failure. 

Cortes, in 15 19, sailed for Mexico, which he conquered two 
years later, destroying forever the power of the Aztec confederacy. 

De Ayllon, in 1526, founded a colony on the James river in 
Virginia. In the following year the colony was abaixioned. 



36 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

De Narvaez, in 1528, led an expedition to conquer the lands north 
of the gulf of Mexico. All the members except four perished, 
including Narvaez. 

De Soto, in 1539, attempted to conquer Florida. He discovered 
the Mississippi, but his expedition was a failure. 

Coronado, in 1540, explored the Southwest as far north as 
Nebraska, discovering the canon of the Colorado. 

The French : In the North. — In 1523 Verrazano explored the 
coast of North America from cape Hatteras to the bay of Fundy. 

Jacques Cartier, in 1534, discovered the gulf of St. Lawrence. 
In the following year he discovered the St. Lawrence river and 
gave the name Montreal to the site of the present city. 

In 1608 Champlain founded Quebec, the first permanent 
French settlement in America. 

The French: In the South. — In 1562 Ribaut attempted to 
found a settlement, Fort Caroline, in Florida. In 1565 Menen- 
dez destroyed the French fort and founded St. Augustine, the 
oldest city' in the United States. 

The English. — In 1578 Sir Francis Drake made the second 
circumnavigation of the world. 

In 1578 Sir Humphrey Gilbert obtained a charter and made 
three fruitless voyages. Sir Walter Raleigh took up the work 
and attempted to colonize Virginia. His efforts were a failure. 

In 1587, under Raleigh's patronage, a colony was established 
on Roanoke island, with John White as governor. White went 
back to England for supplies, and on his return after three years' 
absence no trace of the colony could be found. 

In 1602 Gosnold explored the north Atlantic coast ; in 1603 
Pring visited the harbor now called Plymouth; in 1605 Wey- 
mouth visited the coast of Maine. These three yoyages accom- 
plished little of importance. 



CHAPTER III 
THE EARLY MISSIONARIES 

38. The Religious Orders in Florida. — While the settle- 
ments were being- established, the religious welfare of 
the Indians was not overlooked. In 1566 the Jesuit 
Fathers, Pedro Martinez ^ and John Kegel, were sent by 
St. Francis Borgia, superior of the Jesuits, to found a 
mission in Florida. On arriving off that coast Father 
Martinez landed to explore the shore. Scarcely had he 
done so when a gale arose, driving the vessel out to 
sea. Father Martinez was quickly surrounded by the 
savage Indians and put to death. Ten years later other 
Jesuits arrived to establish missions ; they learned the 
Indian language and opened schools. An attempt to 
found a mission on Chesapeake bay was 'made by the 
Jesuits under Father Segura.^ Scarcely had their vessel 
departed when they were killed by the Indians. The 
remaining Jesuits throughout Florida were thereupon 
recalled and sent to Mexico. 

The Franciscans now took up the missionary work 
in Florida, and Father Pareja^ translated many reli- 
gious books into the native dialects. Fearful persecu- 
tions broke out from time to time ; the missions were 

1 Martinez (Mah-tee'naith). 

2 Segura (Say-goo'rah). 

3 Pareja (Pah-ray'ha). 

37 



38 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

destroyed, and the missionaries fell victims to the fury 
of the savages.^ 

39. The Missionaries of New France ; the Recollets and 
the Jesuits. — In 1614 four Recollets,^ a branch of the 
Franciscans, arrived in New France to assist Cham- 
plain in his noble efforts to civilize the savage tribes. 
They were the first priests to settle in Canada. They 
established missions along the St. Lawrence river, and 
preached to the Algonquins and Hurons in the lan- 
guage of those tribes. In 1625 they invited the Jesuits 
to share with them the glorious work of teaching. The 
Jesuits accepted the invitation and were soon carrying 
the Gospel far and wide in the wilderness and along the 
lakes and rivers.^ 

In 1629 the English captured Quebec, and the Recol- 
lets and Jesuits were transported to England. Canada 
did not remain long in the hands of England, for the 

1 Proceeding to the town of Topequi, the Indians burst into the 
house of Fathef Bias Rodriguez. The missionary endeavored to show 
them the wickedness and folly of their conduct, which would entail pun- 
ishment here and hereafter, but finding his words of no avail, he asked 
the Indians to allow him to say Mass. They granted his request, 
moved by a respect which they could not understand ; and the good 
priest, with his expectant murderers for his congregation, offered the 
Holy Sacrifice for the last time and then knelt down before the altar to 
receive the death blow. — Dr. J. G. Shea. 

2 Recollets (Ray-col-lay'). 

^ They penetrated the Indian towns, lived with the savages, bore 
unparalleled hardships, ministered to the wretched, instilled the teach- 
ings of Christianity into the minds of any who would give them a hear- 
ing, and thought no danger or sacrifice great enough to deter them from 
carrying on their work. The Indian world was their parish. Wherever 
they went they made keen observation of all they saw, and reported to 
their superior in France in a remarkable series of letters called the 



THE EARLY MISSIONARIES 



39 



treaty of peace in 1632 secured Canada again to France. 
The Jesuits resumed missionary labors in Canada the 
same year. When Montreal was founded in 1644 the 
Sulpicians established themselves and soon founded 
schools and seminaries in and near Montreal, but the 
Jesuits had practically entire charge of the great tracts 
of land to the north and west. 

40. The Huron Missions ; Father Jogues and the Iro- 
quois. — Under the zealous Fathers Breboeuf/ Lallemand, 
and Daniel, all three destined to suffer martyrdom under 
the most horrible tortures, the Hurons were visited and 
missions established along the Great Lakes. Fathers 
Raymbaut and Jogues ^ visited the Chippewas and made 
plans to journey to the great plains of the far West. 
On one of the expeditions Father Jogues was returning 
to his missions from Quebec with his companion Rene 
Goupil,'^ when they fell into the hands of the ferocious 
Mohawks. They were treated with inhuman cruelty. 
Their nails were torn out, some of their fingers sawed 
off, their bodies burned and hacked, and they were 
finally compelled to undergo the terrible journey to the 
Indian settlement on the Mohawk. Here Rene Goupil 
was killed, but Father Jogues made his escape in a Dutch 

Jesuit Relations. They carefully mapped the scenes of their labors ; 
they journeyed all over the valleys of the St. Lawrence and Mississippi; 
they discovered all the important lakes and tributary streams of the 
great valley. Although the fathers served so faithfully, most of them 
met violent deaths at the hands of the savages whom they had come to 
help. — Thorpe's History of the American People, p. 27. 

1 Breboeuf (Bre-berf^. 

2 Jogues (Zhog). 

3 Rene Goupil (Re-nay' Goo-peel'). 



40 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

vessel and was hospitably received in New York, whence 
he sailed for France. Two years later he returned to 
Montreal and was sent to the Mohawks to ratify a treaty 
of peace. He again returned to Montreal ; but his desire 
to establish a mission among the savage Mohawks led 
him to again journey into their country, where he was 
treacherously seized and killed Oct. i8, 1646. A shrine 
at Auriesville, N.Y., marks the spot of his martyrdom. 

The Iroquois now spread death and destruction on every 
side ; their war parties swept along the Great Lakes and 
the St. Lawrence river, cutting off the trade of the French 
with the West and rendering the journeys of the missiona- 
ries impossible. Dissension arose, however, in the confed- 
eracy, and the Onondagas sought a treaty of peace with 
the French and asked for the establishment of a French 
colony. The other Iroquois tribes, except the Mohawks, 
also made a treaty, and accordingly a colony was founded 
on lake Onondaga by the French. Four Jesuits accom- 
panied the colonists, founding chapels and traveling 
through the tribes preaching the word of God. The 
missions prospered, and a bright future opened before 
the faithful colonists, when an Indian plot to destroy the 
entire settlement was discovered. By a stratagem ^ the 
French were enabled to withdraw and reach Quebec in 
safety. The work among the Iroquois had been appar- 
ently unsuccessful, but the Jesuits were not discouraged. 
After some severe defeats at the hands of the French 

1 The Indians were invited to a banquet, at which they so gorged 
themselves that they soon fell into a deep sleep. The French took 
advantage of their helplessness and fled frorn the colony. 



THE EARLY MISSIONARIES 41 

regular troops, the Iroquois sought peace, and in 1667 
the Jesuits were again in the Iroquois country. Missions 
were estabhshed among each of the five tribes, but the 
rivalry between the French and English destroyed to a 
great extent the work of the good missionaries ; one 
by one the missions were closed, and the country of the 
Iroquois was again left a prey to the warring tribes of 
the confederacy. 

41. The Ottawa Missions. — In 1660 Father Rene 
Menard set out on his missionary labors to the lands 
of the Ottawas. After incredible hardships, — fording 
rivers, penetrating the trackless forests, suffering from 
heat and cold, — he reached the bay, now called Kewee- 
naw, on the south shore of lake Superior. Here he 
founded a mission. "The nearest altar of the living God," 
says Dr. Shea, " to that raised by this aged and intrepid 
priest was that of the Sulpicians at Montreal, yet the 
altars of Santa Fe and St. Inigoes (Maryland) were but 
little more remote. The aged priest stood alone in the 
heart of the continent, with no fellow priest and scarcely 
a fellow man of European race within a thousand miles 
of him." The following year, in attempting to reach 
an Indian tribe near the headwaters of the Mississippi, 
he strayed from his companions and was never again 
heard from. 

In 1667 Father Claude Allouez,i superior of the 

western missions, carried the Gospel through the present 

state of Wisconsin and the upper part of Michigan. 

He established a mission at Green bay and built up that 

1 Allouez (Al-loo-ay'), 



42 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

of Sault Ste. Marie. ^ In every direction the tireless, 
faithful Jesuit penetrated the forest, preaching the 
Gospel, instructing the children, and teaching the In- 
dians the ways of civilization. 

42. The Maine Missions. — Fathers Biard and Masse 
had established in 1612 a mission on Mount Desert 
island, but it was destroyed by the English. 

In 1633 the Capuchin Fathers, aided by Cardinal 
Richelieu^ of France, established missions and schools 
for the Indians along the coast from the mouth of the 
St. Lawrence to the Kennebec. 

In 1646 Father Druillets was sent to the Abenakis 
on the Kennebec river. He was also intrusted with the 
duty of visiting the authorities of the English colonies 
in New England to secure a compact for trade and an 
alliance against the Indians, especially the Iroquois. He 
was hospitably received in Boston, although the most 
bitter penal laws were in force against the Jesuits. The 
following year^ he visited New Haven to meet delegates 
from the New England colonies, but his mission was not 
successful. He soon returned to Canada, and during the 
next thirty-six years there was little or no missionary 
work among the Abenakis. In 1688 the Jesuits returned 
and had scarcely resumed their labors when war broke 
out in Europe between England and Frarice. At once 
the horrors of Indian warfare swept like a forest fire 
from the St. Lawrence southward. The Indian settle- 
ments along the Penobscot were burned and the churches 

1 Sault Ste. Marie (Soo Sent Ma-ree'). 

2 Richelieu (Reesh-le-uh'). 



THE EARLY MISSIONARIES 43 

destroyed by the English colonists and their allies. 
In August, 1724,'Norridgewock was captured by the 
English, and brave Father Rale,^ the faithful friend of 
the Abenakis, fell at the first onset. The church was 
plundered and destroyed, and the English returned in 
triumph from their errand of destruction. 

1 Father Rale came to America at the age of thirty-two and, after 
journeys in the West, spent twenty-five years among the Abenakis. He 
wrote a dictionary of their language and was one of the most heroic of 
the many brave Jesuits who faced death hourly for the faith. Though 
he knew there was a price on his head, he never fled from danger, and 
at last fell at his post of duty. 



CHAPTER IV 



THE INDIANS 

43. Their Appearance, Civilization, and Government. — 

Let us now glance at the barbarous tribes that occupied 
practically the entire country. These natives were called 

Indians by Columbus 
because he believed 
the newly discovered 
land to be a part of 
India. 

As a rule, the 
Indians were copper- 





An Indian Pueblo 



An I ndian Camp jr-vV<. ^ 4( \l 'Ci'*/, V ^ l « 

colored and had S •^i^O/ 

small black eyes, straight 

black hair, high cheek 

bones, and beardless 

faces. When Columbus arrived they had spread over 

all the western hemisphere. The Indians in the far 

West and Northwest were of a ferocious nature, living 

44 



THE INDIANS 45 

in wigwams. These wigwams were circular in shape, 
made with poles joined together at the top. They 
were covered with skins or bark and had an upper open- 
ing by which the smoke might escape. They moved 
constantly from place to place and subsisted on game 
and fish. They cultivated the soil very little and made 
no progress in the arts except in the weaving of baskets. 

In the Southwest lived the Pueblo Indians, who had 
advanced considerably toward civilization. Their houses 
of sun-dried brick were built on the plateaus or in the 
cliffs of the vast canons ; hence they were called *' Cliff 
Dwellers."^ They made cloth and pottery and tilled 
the soil .2 

East of the Mississippi the development of the Indians 
was more marked. They raised maize or Indian corn and 
many vegetables ; they lived in villages, in long houses, 
large enough to accommodate at least twenty-five families. 
In these houses dwelt a clan, that is, all who were 
descended from the same female ancestor. Each clan 
had its own symbol or mark, called the "totem," such 

1 Throughout the middle West hundreds of mounds and earthworks, 
large and small, have been found. They were supposed for a long time 
to have been built by a quite civilized race which had disappeared before 
the landing of Columbus. This view is no longer held. " It is enough 
to say," remarks Major Powell of the United States Geological Survey, 
" that the Mound Builders were the Indian tribes discovered by the 
white man." 

2 There has been an exaggerated impression of the number of sav- 
ages at the time when our country began to be settled. How many 
there were it is impossible to estimate with any approach to exactness. 
Bancroft judges that the total number on the whole area east of the 
Mississippi, now covered by the United States, was not far from one 
hundred and eighty thousand. — Fisher. 



46 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

as the wolf or the bear, and they held m great rever- 
ence the animal whose image was their emblem. The 
head officer or magistrate was elected and was called the 
'* sachem." The clan elected also its war chiefs and held 
all its property in common except weapons and ornaments. 
The union of many clans formed a tribe, which was ruled 
by a council of the sachems of the different clans. ^ 

44. Implements, Weapons, and Habits of the Indians. 
— The early Indians used the bow and arrow and 
hatchets with stone heads. Later they obtained from the 
white man firearms and became most expert in their use. 
They wore furs of various animals and buffalo hides ; 
on their feet they wore moccasins made of deerskin or 
the hide of the moose. The Indians were swift of foot, 
alert, and very skillful hunters ; they knew the habits 
of every animal and bird in the forest, of every fish of 
the river ; they could follow a trail with amazing skill ; 
their life in the woods taught them to be quick-witted, 
patient, and keen sighted and trained them to endure 
calmly heat or cold, hunger or thirst ; they bore physical 
pain with marvelous bravery ; their self-control was won- 
derful ; under the most horrible torture no cry escaped 
from the lips of the Indian ; on the contrary, he gener- 
ally sneered at his torturers. 

1 They [the Indians] have traditions but no history. Civilized 
people erect monuments of various kinds to commemorate their own 
deeds and those of their ancestors. Throughout the length and breadth 
of the United States there does not exist, and probably there never 
did exist, a monument of any kind deliberately erected by an Indian or 
a tribe to commemorate an event iii Indian history. — ThoRPE's History 
of the American People^ pp. 1-2. 



THE INDIANS 47 

The Indian treated his captives with merciless cruelty, 
the Iroquois frequently burning them at the stake.^ At 
times they adopted a captive into the tribe if he appeared 
to be brave and fearless. 

45. Method of Warfare ; Religion ; Wampum. — The 
Indians were always at strife with each other. When pre- 
paring for war they painted their faces with stripes of 
yellow, blue, and red ; with unearthly war whoops, they 
then went forth armed with clubs, tomahawks, spears, 
and bows and arrows on their path of destruction and 
bloodshed. 

They wore a lock of hair called the *' scalp lock." To 
kill an enemy and to tear off that part of the scalp 
which bore the lock, wearing it later at the belt, was the 
highest triumph of the Indian. They never fought in 
the open field, as the red man's idea of military glory was 
simply to get the scalp of his enemy and to save his own. 

Their religion was a sort of nature and ancestor 
worship, the rites of which were carried on mainly by 
medicine men, but they had no temples and no priest- 
hood. They believed a spirit — the Manitou — dwelt 
in every plant and tree, stream and lake. They looked 
to a life beyond the grave, a happy hunting ground, to 
which only the brave would be admitted. 

To ratify a treaty, the Indians smoked a peace pipe 
called the ** calumet." In dealing with each other they 

^ When, for instance, the Jesuit Father Brebceuf fell into their hands, 
they burned him from head to foot, cut a\Yay his lower lip and jaw, and 
thrust a red-hot iron down his throat. After four hours of this fearful 
torture they cut open his breast and tore out his heart. 



48 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



used seashells, which they called " wampum." They kept 
a record of their treaties by means of the belt of wampum, 
the beads telling exactly what was done. Later the wam- 
pum became a medium of exchange for the colonists 














'■^ 




Indian Calumet or 

Pipe of Peace 



also, in dealing not only with the Indians but with each 
other. This was very important, since it allowed the 
settlers to establish a regular trade in furs and fish with 
the Indians and to sell them hardware and blankets. 

46. Habits and Industries. — The Indian had no idea 
of providing for the future. In time of plenty he gorged 
himself ; in time of famine he starved. While he was 




Wampum, or Indian Money, made of Strings of Shells or Beads 

capable of the greatest endurance, he was by nature 
indolent and shiftless. While the men fought, fished, 
or hunted, the women were compelled to do all the 
hard work, — to till the soil and bear the burdens in 
moving from place to place. 



THE INDIANS 49 

The Indians were very skillful in making bows and 
arrows, stone hatchets, clothing from furs, and espe- 
cially the birch-bark canoe, by which they were able to 
travel easily and quickly over the lakes and rivers from 
one part of the country to another. 

The Indians taught the settlers many valuable things, 
— the worth of Indian corn, the modes of hunting and 
fishing, the value of the canoe, the wigwam form of 
tent, the use of the moccasin for traveling in the forest 
and of the snowshoe for walking on the surface of the 
snow in winter in search of food. 

They also taught the colonists how to make corn 
grow in the forest by burning or girdling the trees, 
thereby killing them and letting in the sunshine. Thus 
the crops grew without the tedious labor of cutting 
down the trees. ^ 

1 For further reading on the Indians the pupil may consult Grinnell's 
Story of the Indian, Dellenbaugh's North Aynericans of Yesterday, and 
G. E. Ellis' The Red Man and the White Man. 



CHAPTER V 

PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 

ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS 

Virginia, 1607 

47. London and Plymouth Companies. — At the open- 
ing of the seventeenth century England had profited little 
by the discoveries of the Cabots. In 1606 she opened 
a new era in her history by granting a charter to two 
commercial companies,^ one composed chiefly of Lon- 
don, the other of Plymouth, merchants, and therefore 
called the London and Plymouth companies. A char- 
ter was granted for colonizing purposes in Virginia, at 
that time the name of the whole territory in America 
claimed by England. In the charter the king granted 
to the London Company the sole right to colonize the 
territory between cape P'ear and the mouth of the Poto- 
mac — from thirty-four to thirty-eight degrees of north 
latitude ; to the Plymouth Company he granted a similar 
right to plant colonies from the Hudson river to the 
bay of Fundy — forty-one to forty-five degrees of north 

1 The immense financial loss to Raleigh in his attempts to found a 
colony deterred others from a similar fate. As trading companies had 
been enormously enriched by their commerce with the East, it was 
believed a company could better carry on so vast an enterprise. Hence 
a new company was formed and obtained the charter. 

50 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 51 

latitude. A middle strip from the mouth of the Potomac 
to the Hudson — from the thirty-eighth to the forty-first 
degree of north latitude — was open to whichever of the 
two companies should first colonize it. It was provided, 
however, that neither company was to establish a colony 
within one hundred miles of any existing settlement.^ 

48. The Popham Colony in Maine, 1607. — With the 
charters secured, both companies 
fitted out ships. The Plymouth 
colony, under George Popham, sailed 
(May 31, 1607) foi" the coast of the 
present state of Maine and, land- 
ing at the mouth of the Kennebec, 
made a settlement. It was an abso- 
lute failure, and in the following 
year, after intense suffering, the 
settlement was abandoned and the 
colonists returned to England. 

49. Settlement of Jamestown, 
1607 ; a Period of Distress. — The 




colony of the London Company with three ships reached 



1 Among the provisions of the charter were the following: 

1. The settlers were entitled to all the rights and privileges that were 
enjoyed by Englishmen at home. 

2. Each land grant should extend inland one hundred miles. 

3. The king should have one fifth of all the precious metals discovered. 

4. The colony should be governed by a council, appointed by the king. 

5. Each company might coin money, punish crime, establish custom tariffs, 
and make laws subject to the veto of the king. 

6. All goods were to be owned in common, the products of the soil being 
deposited in a public magazine or storehouse. 

7. The king also sent instructions that the Church of England should be 
established in the colonies. 



52 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Chesapeake bay, and named the capes at its mouth cape 
Henry and cape Charles in honor of the two sons of 
King James. Entering a broad river, which they named 
the James in honor of the king, they landed at a point 
thirty miles up the river. Here they made a settle- 
ment, which they called Jamestown. TJiis ivas the 
first permanent EiiglisJi settle^nent in Amej'ica. 

The colony was made up largely of men who were 
unused to work, — so-called English gentlemen,^ — and 
instead of building houses, planting seed, and preparing 
for the future, they looked for gold.^ Fever and famine 
overtook them. In four months one half of their num- 
ber was dead. At this critical time a fearless, restless 
adventurer, John Smith, took charge.^ He procured 
food from the Indians, built huts, and explored the bays 
and inlets of the coasts, the rivers, and the surrounding 

1 They were going to a wilderness in which as yet not a house was 
standing and there were forty-eight gentlemen to four carpenters. — 
Bancroft. 

2 Under the charter all the provisions were placed in a common 
storehouse for the use of those who wished to take them. The result 
was that the lazy helped themselves generously, and did not work, while 
the industrious had to labor not only for themselves but for those who 
were idle. The result was disaster, as any one might have foretold 
without being a prophet. 

^ Captain John Smith was born in England in 1580. According to 
his ow^n story, he was left an orphan at an early age and served as a 
soldier under the flags of France and Holland. He embarked for the 
East and was thrown overboard, but saved himself by swimming ashore. 
After wandering through Europe he again became a soldier to fight 
against the Turks. He was taken prisoner and treated so cruelly that 
he killed his master and escaped, finally reaching England in time to 
take part in the colonization of Virginia. Shortly after his arrival 
he was captured by the Indians and condemned to death. His head 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 53 

country. Corn seed was planted, and his energy for 
two years saved the colony from utter ruin. 

50. Arrival of Reenforcements ; Dale as Governor. — 
About two years after the colony was founded five hun- 
dred new colonists started from England under the direc- 
tion of Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers. The 
newcomers were a wretched set of men from the jails 
and streets of London. While the vessel bearing Gates 
and Somers was wrecked on the Bermuda islands, the 
rest of the expedition arrived. Gates and Somers at 
length reached Jamestown in a boat of their own con- 
struction. The colony was in a pitiable condition. 
John Smith had been wounded and had returned to 
England. Of the five hundred colonists that had 
arrived a few months before, only sixty were alive ; 
all were discouraged, and many resolved to return to 
England. Embarking on June 8, 16 10, they sailed 
down the James, when they met Lord Delaware, the 
newly appointed governor, coming up the river with a 
fleet stored with provisions. Thereupon all returned to 
Jamestown. Lord Delaware remained a few months only, 
and for the next five years his successor, Sir Thomas 
Dale, ruled the colony like a tyrant. He required 
attendance at the service of the Church of England 
under the direst penalties, and criticism of that church 
was punishable with death. 

was already on the stone and a stalwart Indian stood over him with a 
club to beat out his brains, when Pocahontas, the daughter of the chief 
Powhatan, begged her father to save Smith's life. The request was 
granted, and Smith was adopted into the tribe. The best historical 
students, however, reject the Pocahontas story as a myth. 



54 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

51. The New Charter ; Abolition of Communism ; Cul- 
tivation of Tobacco. — A new charter had been brought 
over in 1 609 by Lord Delaware, which made many modi- 
fications of the original one. It provided that the gov- 
ernment of the colony should be placed entirely in the 
hands of the council in England ; that the land grants, 
at first extending only one hundred miles inland, were 
to run from sea to sea, — from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific ; that no one could settle in Virginia unless he 
took the oath of supremacy, — that is, to acknowledge 
the king as the head of the church. This of course 
shut out many Protestants as well as Catholics from the 
colony.^ 

One of Dale's first acts was the abolition of the 
system of placing the products in a public warehouse 
for the public use. According to this plan the indus- 
trious worker supported the idler. Hereafter every 
man must support himself, and to each settler were 
granted three acres of land. Conditions were improved, 
and the success of the colony was assured when John 
Rolfe,^ in 161 2, began the planting of tobacco. The 
trade was extremely profitable. New settlers arrived 
daily, and the output of tobacco increased in eight years 
over four hundred and twenty thousand pounds. In 

1 The penal laws against the Catholics were very severe. They 
could not hold office, but were punished with a severe fine if they 
attempted to vote. No priest was allowed in the colony. In a court of 
justice a Catholic could not be a witness. 

2 John Rolfe had married Pocahontas. She was the daughter of the 
Indian chief, Powhatan. The marriage of Rolfe to Pocahontas had the 
good effect of rendering Powhatan friendly to the settlers. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 55 

1670, fifty-one years from Rolfe's first crop, Virginia 
produced twelve million pounds. So extensive now 
became its cultivation that a law was passed compelling 
every man to plant a certain number of acres of corn 
for the food supply. 

52. Effects of Tobacco Culture ; Introduction of Slav- 
ery, 1619. — The widespread cultivation of tobacco pro- 
duced unexpected results. Up to this time there was 
no commerce of any value with Europe, but the sale of 
tobacco started a profitable trade. The news of the suc- 
cess of the tobacco crop induced many to come to Virginia 
from England to take up its cultivation. Again, the 
growing of tobacco required many and cheap laborers. 
Accordingly criminals were sent from the jails of Eng- 
land, orphans from asylums, and waifs from the streets. 

They were called ''indentured"^ servants, but were 
virtually slaves, although after a service of years, gen- 
erally from seven to ten, they were set free.^ In 
August, 16 19, a Dutch ship came up the James river 
with twenty negroes, w4io were sold as slaves to the 

1 The agreement with a servant was made by a contract across which 
extended a cutting like the teeth of a saw. Hence the word "inden- 
ture," to cut into points like a row of teeth. The paper was then sepa- 
rated, one part being kept by the master, the other by the servant. If 
both parts when put together exactly fitted, it was evidence that they 
were the same contract. 

2 The colony was composed almost entirely of men. To induce 
them to settle down for life and make Virginia their home, the London 
Company sent over ninety young women as wives for the settlers. Who- 
ever could give one hundred and twenty pounds of good tobacco, worth 
about ninety dollars, could select one of the young women for a wife, 
if she were agreeable. The plan was successful and later others came. 



56 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

planters. This was the beginning of negro slavery in 
Virginia. Slavery increased until at last there were 
slaves in every colony in America. 

53. The Establishment of Representative Government. 
— Difficulties with their governor induced the colonists 
to ask the London Company for a better form of govern- 
ment. A new governor, Sir George Yeardley, was 
appointed. He requested the colonists, who were scat- 
tered to the number of four thousand through eleven 
settlements, or boroughs, as they were called, to send two 
representatives to an assembly. This body came together 
in a little church at Jamestown, July 30, 16 19. This 
House of Burgesses, the first legislative body in America, 
was the beginning of popular, representative government. 

54. Virginia loses its Charter. — King James, how- 
ever, had become displeased with the London Company 
and brought a suit to annul its charter. The suit was 
decided in the king's favor, and Virginia became a royal 
province, passing under the direct control of the king. 
Nevertheless, the people continued to make most of 
their own laws. Before James I had effected a change 
in the government of the colony he died (May, 1625) 
and was succeeded on the throne by his son, Charles I. 
Seven years after his accession the king diminished the 
territory of Virginia by a grant of Maryland on the north 
and of the Carolinas on the south. Civil war soon broke 
out in England, and in 1649 Charles I was beheaded.^ 

1 At this time many sympathizers of the unfortunate king, called 
" Royalists," or " Cavaliers," emigrated to America and settled in Vir- 
ginia. From them many illustrious Virginia families trace their descent. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 57 

When his son, Charles II, finally obtained the throne 
he granted for thirty-one years to two favorites, Lord 
Culpepper and Lord Arlington, '* the entire tract of land 
and water commonly called Virginia," with all the rents 
and revenues. In the meantime, while the people 
were suffering from a series of oppressive laws, the 
Indians took up the tomahawk and went on the warpath 
against the colonists. Upon the neglect of the royal 
governor, Berkeley, to take stringent measures against 
the Indians,' Nathaniel Bacon asked for permission 
to enlist volunteers. His request was refused, and 
he thereupon organized companies and chastised the 
Indians, The governor called it treason, but in view of 
Bacon's popularity with the people he pardoned him. 
A new assembly met and repealed many of the unpopu- 
lar laws,^ passing others for the relief of the people. 
Civil war, however, broke out with Bacon in charge of the 
forces against Berkeley, who was soon defeated and fled. 
Jamestown was thereupon utterly destroyed by Bacon. 

In the midst of his successes Bacon died, and the 
rebellion fell to pieces. Berkeley thereupon punished 

1 Among the laws enacted in England against which the colonists 
emphatically protested were the Navigation Laws. They first prohibited 
the importation of commodities into England in any ships except those 
belonging to England, the English colonies, or the country which pro- 
duced the commodities. Later certain articles — sugar, tobacco, and 
indigo among them — were to be shipped to no country but England. 
Finally it was enacted in 1663 that European products should not be 
received in the colonies from foreign vessels, thus giving a complete 
monopoly of the colonial commerce to English merchants, who, pro- 
tected from competition, could charge high prices on goods to the 
colonists and pay low prices on goods from the colonies. 



58 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

with death twenty of the rebelHous leaders.^ Bacon's 
rebelUon was a protest against the class legislation and 
the corruption of Berkeley's government. He attempted 
to secure for the people their rights against the ever- 
increasing tyranny of the aristocratic party, which tried 
to evade taxation while plundering the public treasury. 
Though Bacon's rebellion failed, we must admire him 
for his efforts to better the condition of the people. 

SUMMARY 

In 1607 the first permanent English settlement in America was 
made in Jamestown. 

In 1 61 9 was held the first legislative assembly in the New 
World. The same year marked the introduction of negro slavery 
in Virginia. 

In 1676 Nathaniel Bacon rose in rebellion against the unjust 
laws and lax administration of the colony. New laws were enacted, 
but the rebellion failed of permanent results. 



New Netherlands, or New York, 161 4 

55. Henry Hudson and the Dutch. — At the beginning 
of the seventeenth century the Dutch were one of the 
foremost commercial peoples of the world,^ and their 
country, Holland, was one of the most prosperous in 

1 Said Charles II of Berkeley : " The old fool has 'put to death more 
people in that naked country than I did here for the murder of my 
father." Charles II had executed only six of the fifty-nine judges who 
had voted for the death sentence of his father, Charles I. 

2 The Dutch in the seventeenth century had one half of the carry- 
ing trade of the continent of Europe, and Amsterdam was one of the 
greatest marts in the world. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 



59 



Europe. Their sails were upon every sea, and they 
were anxious for a short route to the Indies, where 
abounded the spices, silks, and precious stones so eagerly 
desired in the markets of Europe. In 1609 the Dutch 
East India Company, the most successful trading corpo- 
ration in the world, sent Henry Hudson to find this 
route to the East. He came in sight of the Maine 








The Hal/ Moon on the Hudson 

coast and cruised southward to the mouth of Chesa- 
peake bay. Turning northward again, he entered the 
present harbor of New York and discovered in 1609 
the mighty river that now bears his name.^ In his 
vessel, the Ha// Moon, he sailed as far north as the 
site of Albany, exploring the banks and looking for an 
entrance to the Pacific. He received parties of Indians 
whom he treated with great kindness. They were of 

1 Verrazano had undoubtedly seen the mouth of the Hudson river in 
1524, when he entered New \'ork harbor, but Hudson was the first to 
explore it. Hudson called it the River of the Mountains. It was later 
justly given the name of the great explorer. 



6o ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the Iroquois league, the strongest Indian power in 
America, and ever afterward the Dutch and Iroquois 
preserved ties of the strongest friendship. From the 
narrowing width of the river, Hudson knew he had not 
found the route to the East. On his return he sent to 
Amsterdam a glowing account ^ of the country he had 
visited and of the great possibilities of the fur trade.^ 
At once traders poured in from all parts of Europe,^ 
and numerous posts were established for dealing with 
the Indians. 

56. Settlement of Manhattan; the Dutch West India 
Company. — Along the Hudson river, called by them 
the North river, the Dutch built trading places, — one 
in 1 6 14 on Manhattan island, which became the present 
city of New York, and another at Fort Orange, on the 
present site of Albany. Southward they pushed their 
trading posts, one being built near the present site of 
Camden, N.J., on the Delaware, called by them the 
South river. They named the country New Nether- 
lands and claimed all the territory from the Delaware to 
the Connecticut. A new corporation called the Dutch 

1 Of the country he wrote: " The land is the finest for cultivation 
that I ever in my life set foot upon and it also abounds in trees of 
every description." 

2 England sent Hudson later to find a northwest passage. He dis- 
covered the bay and strait which bear his name, but he and his crew 
suffered fearfully from the intense cold. At length the crew mutinied 
and put Hudson with eight companions in a boat and set them adrift. 
The unfortunate explorer was never again seen nor heard from. 

2 Furs were of the greatest value to the Dutch traders because of the 
severe winters in northern Europe. Russia had supplied most of the 
furs up to this time. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 6l 

West India Company took the place of the Dutch East 
India Company in 162 1, with virtually supreme power 
over all the Dutch interests in America. 

57. Purchase of Manhattan; the Patroons In 1626 

a colony under Governor Peter Minuit was sent out to 
the rude trading post on Manhattan island, where a 
settlement was established. The Indians sold the island 
for trinkets worth about twenty-four dollars.^ A fort 
was established, and the Indian name Manhattan was 
first given to the settlement, but it was later named 
Fort Amsterdam. This was the beginning of the 
present great city of New York. 

Three years later the company offered a grant of 
land on any river or bay to the founder of a settlement 
of fifty persons over fifteen years of age. The grant 
gave to the founder, who was to be called a patroon,^ of 
New Netherlands a tract of sixteen miles frontage on 
one side of a river or eight miles on each side. The 
patroon had the right to appoint officers and magistrates 
and to act as judge in civil and criminal courts which he 
was permitted to establish on his lands. The settler 
on his part could not leave the estate to become the 
tenant of another. He also agreed to bring his grain 
to the patroon's mill and pay for the grinding ; to culti- 
vate the patroon's land for ten years ; to use only cloth 
made in Holland ; to neither fish nor hunt on the 

1 It has been reckoned that this small siim placed at interest at that 
time would now amount to nearly one hundred and twenty-five millions 
of dollars. 

2 " Patroon " means protector or benefactor, like our English word 
"patron." 



62 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

patroon's property, and if he died without will, the 
patroon was to get all his property. 

58. The Dutch Governors ; Peter Stuyvesant. — Under 
a series of incompetent and corrupt governors the colony 
fared ill. In 1645 Peter Stuyvesant arrived as gov- 
ernor. He was a tyrannical, dictatorial man, who had no 
faith in the people. He desired to rule with absolute 
authority, and generally succeeded. He insisted on 
maintaining the Dutch Protestant Church at the public 
expense,^ and severely punished dissenters. In 1656 
he attacked the Swedish settlements on the Delaware 
and annexed them to New York. He also attempted to 
annex Connecticut, but failed. 

The English claimed the entire coast by virtue of 
Cabot's exploration, and saw with a jealous eye this 
Dutch settlement thrust in between the Virginia and the 
New England colonies. In 1664 a fleet fitted out by the 
English king, Charles II, appeared before New Amster- 
dam and demanded its surrender. Stuyvesant^ stormed 
in great rage and declared he would never surrender. 
But the town was in no condition for defense. The peo- 
ple were weary of Stuyvesant's arrogance, and the flag of 
Holland was hauled down. The province now received 
the name of New York, in honor of the Duke of York. 

1 A pew was set apart in the [Dutch Reformed}' Church for the 
City Fathers; and on Sunday mornings these worthies left their homes 
and families early to meet in the City Hall from which, preceded by the 
bell-ringer and carrying their cushions of state, they marched in solemn 
procession to the sanctuary in the fort. — Lamb's History of New York. 

2 Stuyvesant had lost a leg in the wars in Holland and was called " Old 
Silver Leg " by the English, and " Hard-Headed Peter " by the Dutc-h. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 63 

59. The Duke's Laws ; Governor Dongan. — New laws, 
called the "Duke's laws," were enacted. These laws 
assured trial by jury, equal taxation, tenure of lands 
from the Duke of York, and a recognition of negro 
slavery. In 1673 war again broke out between Holland 
and England, and New York surrendered to a Dutch 
fleet, but it was returned to the English at the signing 
of the treaty of peace in 1674. 

In 1683 Thomas Dongan, a native of Ireland and a 
Catholic, was appointed governor, and under his direc- 
tion the first legislative assembly held in New York met 
in October of that year. A Charter of Liberties was 
drawn up,^ guaranteeing freedom of conscience and 
religious liberty to all Christians.^ Trial by jury was 
assured, and no tax could be levied without the consent 
of the assembly. Dongan settled the boundary dispute 
with Connecticut, made a peace treaty with the Indians, 
and did all in his power to prevent the southward march 
of the French. 

60. Leisler's Rebellion. — After the departure of 
Dongan strife broke out in the colony. On the flight 
of James II from the throne of England a German 
merchant named Jacob Leisler seized the government of 
the colony on the pretense of holding it for the new king 

^ The Charter of Liberties was sent to England for the duke's 
approval, but before it was signed Charles II died ; the Duke of York 
became king, and New York was annexed to New England under a 
single governor, Andros. 

2 The first Latin school in New York was opened by the Jesuit 
Fathers in 1683. The pupils were called together by the ringing of the 
bell in the fort. 



64 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

of England. He proceeded at once to vent his hate on 
the Catholics. Many of the ablest and noblest men in 
the colony who had refused to acknowledge his authority 
were thrown into prison on the charge of making alliance 
with the Catholics. 

Believing that there was danger of an invasion by the 
French from Canada, Leisler, in 1690, called a congress 
of the American colonies to attack Canada. This ivas 
the first of the congresses that finally resulted in the 
Congress of PhiladelpJiia, where our independence was 
proclaimed. 

On the arrival of British troops Leisler refused to 
give up the fort and fired on the king's soldiers, killing 
a number. He was soon abandoned by the people and, 
being captured, was tried by court-martial for murder 
and treason. He was found guilty and was executed 
(May 16, 1 691). 

61. Persecution of Catholics ; Royal Colony. — A new 
assembly met after Leisler's death and reenacted Don- 
gan's charter of 1683 with one important change, — the 
right of worship according to the Catholic religion was 
denied. In 1700^ and 1701 laws were passed expelling 
Catholic priests from the colony; if any remained they 
would be punished with imprisonment for life. Any 
priest coming into the province of his own accord should 

1 Rhode Island also passed a law at this time, denying the right of 
voting to Catholics. "Throughout the colonies at the beginning of the 
eighteenth century the man who did not conform to the established 
religion of the colony ... if he were a Roman Catholic, was wholly dis- 
franchised. To him there was not even the legal right of public wor- 
ship." — Sxn.LE. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 65 

be hanged. To Catholic laymen was denied the right 
to vote for any office. 

In 1 74 1 a new persecution broke out. A -depraved 
woman claimed to have discovered a plot on the part of 
the Catholics and negroes to burn the town. The latent 
bigotry now burst into flame, and before the panic had 
ceased four whites were hanged ; of the negroes seventy 
were transported, eighteen were hanged, and fourteen 
burned at the stake. 

From 1685, when the Duke of York ascended the 
English throne, until the Revolution New York remained 
a royal colony. 

SUMMARY 

In 1609 Henry Hudson discovered and explored the Hudson 
river and gave to the Dutch possession of the country. They 
called it New Netherlands and founded on Manhattan island the 
town of New Amsterdam. 

In 1664 the English captured the country and called it New 
York. 

In 1683 the first legislative assembly was held under Governor 
Dongan. The Charter of Liberties passed by this assembly 
guaranteed religious liberty and trial by jury. 

New Jersey, 16 17 

62. Grant to Berkeley and Carteret. — After the Eng- 
lish had obtained control of the province of New Nether- 
lands the Duke of York, in 1664, gave the land between 
New York harbor and Delaware bay to two court favorites. 
Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. Berkeley took 
the southwestern portion, called West Jersey, while the 



66 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

northeastern portion, called East Jersey, was given to 
Carteret. Carteret had been governor of the island of 
Jersey, off the English coast, and had defended the 
island against the Puritan forces during the Civil War 
in England. The province was therefore called, in his 
honor. New Jersey. 

The constitution under which the settlers lived gave 
them a voice in the lawmaking, as no tax could be levied 
without the consent of the assembly of their representa- 
tives. Freedom of worship was promised ; but, as was 
the case in most of the colonies, it was not practiced as 
regards Roman Catholics. In Newark only Protestant 
church members could vote. A party of settlers under 
Philip Carteret, a relative of Sir George, founded in 
1664 Elizabeth, the first permanent English settlement 
in the state. In 1667 Newark was founded by emi- 
grants from the New Haven colony. 

63 . William Penn and the Quakers ; a Royal Province . — 
In 1673, because of endless disputes between the settlers 
and Berkeley, the latter sold his share to the Quakers, 
of whom William Penn was the leading spirit, and nine 
years later, on the death of Carteret, they obtained the 
remainder of the colony. In 1688 both East Jersey 
and West Jersey were added to New York and to 
New England under the governorship of Sir Edmund 
Andros. The revolution in England forced out Andros 
from the governorship, and in the confusion that 
ensued as to the right of ownership the king took the 
colony as a royal province, 1702. In this year liberty 
of conscience was proclaimed for all except Catholics 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 6^] 

and Quakers.^ Fc^r the next thirty-six years New Jersey 
was under the governor of New York, but in 1738 it was 
allowed to have its own governor. 

SUMMARY 

In 1664 the Duke of York seized and granted to his friends 
Berkeley and Carteret the present territory of New Jersey, which 
had been claimed by the Dutch. Elizabeth, the first permanent 
English settlement in the state, was founded in the same year. 

In 1673 the Quakers purchased Berkeley's share of the terri- 
tory, and in 1682 Carteret sold to them his portion. 

In 1688 the entire colony was added to New York and New 
England, and in 1 702 became a royal province. 



Massachusetts; Plymouth Colony, 1620; Massachu- 
setts Bay Colony, 1630 

64. The Pilgrims in Holland ; the Mayflower. — We 

have already seen (p. 51) how Popham, sent by the Ply- 
mouth Company, tried to found a settlement at the mouth 
of the Kennebec in 1607, and failed. In 161 3 John 
Smith of Virginia visited this section, made a map of 
the coast, and gave names to the Charles river and to 
two of the promontories, cape Ann and cape Elizabeth. 
He called the entire section New England. His attempts 
at settlement, however, in this section were a failure. 

^ The Society of Friends or Quakers was founded by George Fox in 
England. He was thrust into prison, but his doctrines spread rapidly. 
The Quakers taught the equality of man, and they believed there should 
be uniformity in dress. They recognized no title and kept their heads 
covered before king or peasant. They refused to give testimony under 
oath and were unalterably opposed to war and slavery. 



68 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

In 1608 a party of English Protestants who were dis- 
satisfied with the Church of England left the little 
village of Scrooby. They settled in Holland, at Amster- 
dam, and a little later in, Leyden. Finally deciding to 
emigrate to America, they obtained from the London 
Company permission to settle in New Jersey. Leav- 
ing Delfshaven in July, 1620, on the Speedwell^ they 
touched at Southampton, England, where another vessel, 
the Mayflower, joined them, and together they set sail 
for America. 

The Speedwell was found to be unsafe, however, and 
they returned. All who desired to continue crowded 
on to the Mayflozver, which sailed with one hundred pas- 
sengers. On November 19 they sighted the shores of 
cape Cod, far to the north of their destination. As this 
section was the property of the Plymouth Company, and 
they were to settle in the territory of the London Com- 
pany, they started again southward. They were driven 
back by violent weather, and finally, anchoring in the 
harbor of Provincetown, they decided to get permission 
from the Plymouth Company to settle on their land. Some 
of the members, taking advantage of the fact that they 
were not landing in Virginia, declared their independence 
of all authority. The colonists, therefore, drew up in 
the cabin of the Mayflowei' a compact to enact " such just 
and equal laws ... as shall be thought most meet and 
convenient for the general good of the colony." They 
elected John Carver governor, and explored the coast. 

65 . The Landing at Plymouth ; Treaty with the Indians . 
— On December 2 1 they resolved to land at a place now 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 69 

called Plymouth. 1 They suffered so severely from the 
cold winter and scarcity of food that one half of the 
colony perished during the winter and spring, among 
them John Carver, the governor. 

The Plymouth Company was dissolved at this time, 
and its successor, the Council for New England, granted 




Captain Myles Standish 

to the Pilgrims a tract of land between the fortieth and 
forty-eighth degrees of north latitude, and extending 
from sea to sea, or from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 

One of the wise acts of Governor Carver before his 
death was the peace treaty with the Indians. Early in 

1 This place had been visited by Champlain and called by him Port 
St. Louis. 



70 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the spring there appeared in the colony an Indian named 
Samoset. He had learned to speak a little English from 
the fishermen along the Kennebec, and welcomed the 
English colonists to the land. A treaty was made with 
Massasoit, the Indian chief, which was faithfully observed 
for fifty-four years. 

Along Narragansett bay lived the powerful tribe 
named the Narragansetts, whose chief was Canonicus. 
They were the enemies of Massasoit. Desiring to terrify 
the colonists, they sent a rattlesnake skin stuffed with 
arrows to Governor Bradford, who was Carver's succes- 
sor. Bradford filled the skin with powder and ball and 
sent it back. Canonicus became frightened and decided 
it was best to leave the colonists in peace. 

The military leader of the colony was Myles Standish, 
the brave, energetic, heroic warrior who spread terror 
among the hostile Indians. 

One of the most famous institutions founded in the 
New World by the Pilgrims was the town meeting. 
Here all the citizens met together and voted directly on 
all questions instead of through representatives. It was 
the purest form of democratic government. The Ply- 
mouth colony grew slowly. Nine years after its estab- 
lishment it had only three hundred members, and it was 
finally (1691) absorbed by the Massachusetts colony. 

66. The Puritans ; the Massachusetts Bay Colony. — 
The Puritans in England now followed the example of 
the Pilgrims. They obtained a tract of land, stretching 
from three miles north of the Merrimac river to three 
miles south of the Charles and westward to the Pacific. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 71 

An expedition led by John Endicott sailed with sixty 
persons and founded Salem in 1628. In the following 
year the royal charter was secured, incorporating this 
colony as the Company of Massachusetts Bay. It was 
to be managed by a governor, deputy governor, and a 
council of eighteen assistants, to be elected annually by 
the members of the comj^any. Only Puritan church 
members were allowed to vote. 

In April, 1630, John Winthrop reached Salem with 
one thousand Puritans. He moved later to Charlestown, 
and still later to a place the Indians called Shawmut. 
The English named it Tri-mountain, or Tremont, because 
of its three hills. This name was later changed to 
Boston, after the English town whence many of the 
settlers came. A throng of immigrants now poured in, 
no less than twenty thousand arriving in ten years. 
Among the settlements were Roxbury, Dorchester, 
Watertown, and Newtown, or Cambridge. 

The colonists under Endicott shortly after their 
arrival in Salem had separated from the Church of 
England. They established separatist churches after 
the model called Congregational.^ They ordered that 
*' no man shall be admitted to the freedom of this body 
politic but such as are members of some of the churches 
within the limits of the same." This caused trouble. 

67. Roger Williams founds Providence. — In 1633 a 
young Welshman, Roger Williams, pastor of a church 
in Salem, advocated the separation of church and state 

1 Under the Congregational system each parish has its own inde- 
pendent, self-governing church. 



72 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



and full freedom of religious belief. He also declared 
that the Indians, not the king, owned the land and from 
the Indians the land must be bought if they would have 
an honest and valid title. For such sentiments he was 
promptly ordered to England but escaped and later 
founded the city of Providence. At the same time 
Mrs. Anne Hutchinson was driven out of the Puritan 
colony because of her peculiar religious beliefs. She 



Watertown*, 3*31 
Cambridse J*V 

Roxbury Do\ohe3ter ^C.Cod 



^ /'" ^^^^'"'^^"^ , PraVidcnce ' ^' 7. U 
^ ■ Hartford 7 / !r H l|^[t.Hope f, %^ 



fij( 



jsia 



•w>- .- 



™<."«'^^0^'^. 




SCALE OF MILES 



1_ 



50 



100 



bought the island of Aquidneck, — afterwards called 
Rhode Island, — as we shall see later. 

68. The New England Confederation. — In 1643 the 
four colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts bay, Connecti- 
cut, and New Haven organized a military league, called the 
New England Confederation, for self-protection against 
the Indians as well as defense against the Dutch, who 
still claimed the Connecticut valley. Another reason 
for the union was the Civil War in England and the 
necessity of being prepared for the result of that strug- 
gle. Maine and Rhode Island were not invited to join 
the confederacy as they did not believe in Puritan ideas 
and were in consequence looked upon with suspicion. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 73 

The confederacy lasted for forty years and is of impor- 
tance as it is the first experiment in united action by 
the American colonies. 

69. Persecution of the Quakers. — In 1656 the first 
Quakers appeared in Massachusetts. Because of their 
independent religious views they had already been a 
source of the greatest trouble to the English authorities, 
who had tried in vain to crush them, no less than four 
thousand being in English jails at one time. Their 
appearance in Massachusetts created the greatest alarm, 
and they were at once shipped back to England. A 
law was enacted against them which provided for flog- 
ging and imprisonment. These laws did not deter the 
Quakers in the least. They poured into the colony, 
denounced the magistrates, and defied the Puritan clergy. 

In 1657 another law was enacted that Quakers should 
have their ears cut off and their tongues pierced with 
red-hot irons. In 1658 the Massachusetts General Court 
passed a law providing the death penalty for returning 
Quakers, and in 1659 four of them were hanged on 
Boston Common, while others w^ere flogged from town 
to town, imprisoned, starved, and otherwise maltreated. 
A reaction soon set in. While the magistrates, led 
chiefly by Endicott ^ and the Puritan clergy, endeavored 
to keep up the persecution, the people revolted, and 

^ No figure in our early history looms out of the past like Endi- 
cott's. The harsh face still looks down from under the black skull-cap; 
the gray moustache and pointed beard shading the determined mouth, 
but throwing into relief the lines of the massive jaw. He is almost 
heroic in his ferocious bigotry and daring. — Brooks Adams' The 
Einaucipatioii of ]\[assachiisetts. 



74 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



gradually the Quakers enjoyed the rights that belonged 
to them as free-born English subjects. 

70. *'King" Philip^s War. — The treaty which had 
been made by the English with Massasoit had been 
strictly kept until his death in 1660. Massasoit left 
two sons, who had been given the names Alexander and 




Indians attacking a Settlement 

Philip. Alexander died in 1662 after a visit to Plymouth, 
Philip believed he had been poisoned and at once set 
out to make war on the English, who w.ere gradually 
settling around him nearer and nearer and compelling 
him to give up more of his land year by year. In 1674 
Philip let loose his warriors, and for two years the horrible 
warfare was carried on throughout Massachusetts, Rhode 
Island, and Connecticut. At length he was hemmed in 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 75 

in a swamp near Mount Hope, Rhode Island, and was 
killed Aug. 12, 1676, by an Indian. His hands were 
cut off and sent to Boston, and his head was set up on a 
pole in Plymouth. The war had cost the colonists six 
hundred fighting men and heavy war debts. A vast 
amount of property had been destroyed, but the Indian 
power in New England was broken forever. 

71. The Salem Witchcraft. — There had been recurring 
witchcraft panics in Europe since the fifteenth century, 
and in England and Scotland there were several in the 
seventeenth century. In various parts of Massachu- 
setts the delusion appeared, but the most violent out- 
break was in Salem. The children of a Puritan minister 
claimed to be bewitched by an old colored woman. She 
confessed, and with the children brought accusations 
against many people in the parish. Cotton Mather, 
one of the most conservative of the Puritan ministers, 
had aided by his writings and sermons in intensifying the 
belief in witchcraft, and his influence was now thrown 
in favor of the active prosecution of the cases. This 
soon produced a reign of terror throughout the colony. 
No one was safe, and before the panic ended twenty 
persons had suffered death. ^ At length a reaction set 
in, and those in prison were released. So keenly did 
the colony feel its shame that a day of fast was 

^ It seemed as though the bonds of society were dissolving; nine- 
teen persons had been hanged, one had l)een pressed to death and eight 
lay condemned; a number had fled, but their property had been seized 
and they were beggars; the prisons were choked while more than two 
hundred were accused and in momentary fear of arrest ; even two dogs 
had been killed. — Brooks Adams. 



'jG ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

appointed. One of the judges who had condemned the 
witches was Samuel Sewall. He wrote a confession of 
his error with a request for forgiveness, and stood in his 
pew in the Old South Church while the minister read 
it to the congregation. 

72. Loss of the Massachusetts Charter. — When 
Charles II regained the throne of his father he was 
beset by the Quakers, Baptists, Episcopalians, and 
others who complained of the intolerance of the Mas- 
sachusetts authorities. It was represented to him that 
English subjects had been executed illegally ; that the 
king's name did not appear in the writs ; that Episco- 
palians were not allowed to appeal to the king's courts ; 
that money had been coined illegally ; that the Navigation 
Laws^ had been broken, and that hundreds of other illegal 
acts had been committed. Charles had no love for Massa- 
chusetts, and gladly accepted the opportunity which was 
now given him to withdraw the charter. In spite of all pro- 
tests this action was taken in 1684. In 1686 Sir Edmund 
Andros was appointed governor, and six years later a 
new charter was given by the English king, William III. 

By this charter, Maine, Massachusetts, and Plymouth 
became one province. The religious qualification for 
voters gave way to a property qualification, except for 
Catholics, who were given no rights whatever.^ The 

1 By these laws the commerce of the colonies must be carried on in 
vessels owned in England or the colonies, and the export of certain 
commodities was confined to England. 

2 Some of the worst penal laws on the pages of history were enacted 
during the first years of the reign of William and Mary. They may be 
seen in detail in Blackstone, Com?fientaries, Book IV, pp. 55-58. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 77 

king was granted power to appoint the governor, and 
the people could make only such laws as the king saw 
fit to approve. 

SUMMARY 

In 1620 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth from the May- 
/lower. 

In 1628 the Puritans reached Salem and later settled Boston. 

In 1633 Roger Williams was driven from the Puritan colony 
and founded in 1636 the city of Providence. 

In 1643 3. confederacy of four colonies (Plymouth, Massa- 
chusetts bay, Connecticut, and New Haven) was formed for 
defense against the Indians and the Dutch. 

In 1656 the Quaker persecution was begun. 

In 1676 the war with "King" Philip ended in his death and 
the overthrow of the Indian power forever. 

In 1692 the Salem witchcraft delusion spread terror through- 
out the colony. In the same year a new charter consolidated 
the colonies of Maine, Massachusetts bay, and Plymouth into 
one. 



New Hampshire, 1623 

73. Grant to Gorges and Mason. — As early as 1603 
Captain Martin Pring with two vessels explored the 
harbor now called Portsmouth, and sailed up the Pis- 
cataqua river. In 1622 Sir Ferdinando Gorges and 
Captain John Mason obtained from the Grand Council 
of Plymouth a grant of land between the Merrimac 
and the Kennebec, and extending from the Atlantic 
to the great river of Canada. This tract was called 
Laconia, ''because of the great lakes therein." 



7^ 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



74. Settlement of Dover and Portsmouth. — Settle- 
ments were planted at Dover and at Portsmouth, but 
little progress was made for many years, the chief occu- 
pations of the people being fishing, hunting, and trading 
with the Indians. In 1629 Mason and Gorges divided 
their territory. Mason received the portion between 
the Merrimac and Piscataqua rivers and called it New 
Hampshire, after Hampshire in England, where he had 

lived many years. Gorges took 
the territory between the Piscat- 
aqua and the Kennebec and called 
it Maine. ^ To his colony Mason 
sent over farming tools and cattle ; 
but he died in 1635, ^^^^ ^^^ many 
years the colonists were neglected. 
In 1635 Rev. John Wheelwright, 
who had been banished from Mas- 
sachusetts for his sympathy with 
Mrs. Anne Hutchinson, settled 
Exeter. Among the immigrants 
into this colony was a large number of Irish, who 
founded Londonderry, 17 19. 

In 164 1 New Hampshire was annexed to Massachu- 
setts. They were separated and joined a number of 
times, until in 1679 New Hampshire became a royal 
province. Henceforth the king appointed the governor, 

1 In regard to the meaning of the name Maine, Bryant and Gay's 
History says Maine, like all the rest of the coast, was known as the 
" Maine," the mainland, and it is not unlikely that the word, so much 
used by the early fishers on the coast, may thus have been given to 
this part of it. 




nr 



SCALE OF MILES 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 79 

and all laws made by the colonists were subject to the 
approval of the king. 

In the meantime Gorges had obtained in April, 1639, 
a charter from the king which conferred on him the 
title of " Lord Proprietor of the Province and County of 
Maine." This charter gave him almost unlimited power 
and established in the colony the Church of England. 
The province was divided in two counties, Agamen- 
ticus, or York, being the principal settlement of one, 
and Saco of the other. In 1632 Portland was founded. 
Gorges never visited America, and his province was neg- 
lected. In 1677 Massachusetts bought the claims from 
the heirs of Mason and Gorges for about six thousand 
dollars. By a new charter granted by William and 
Mary in 169 1 Maine was united to Massachusetts and 
was controlled by that state until Maine was admitted 
into the Union in March, 1820. 

SUMMARY 

In 1603 Martin Pring explored the coast, and in 1622 Gorges 
and Mason were granted the territory between the Merrimac and 
the Kennebec. It was called Laconia. In 1629 it was divided 
and Mason called his share New Hampshire. Gorges called his 
territory Maine. 

In 1 641 New Hampshire and Massachusetts were united. 

In 1679 New Hampshire became a royal province. 

In T677 Maine passed under the control of Massachusetts 
and in 1691 was united to it by a new charter. 

In I 719 Londonderry was founded by the Irish. 



8o ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Connecticut, 1634 

75. The Dutch at Hartford ; Foundation of Say brook 

While the Dutch had been extending their settlements 
to the north on the Hudson and to the south on the 
Delaware, they were also looking for territory to the 
eastward, and in 1633 they built a fort where Hartford 
now stands. Two years afterwards John Winthrop, Jr., 
son of the governor, acting as agent of two Puritan 
noblemen who had obtained a grant of this section, 
established a fort at the mouth of the river to shut off 
the Dutch vessels. He called the fort Saybrook in 
honor of his patrons, Lord Say and Lord Brooke. 

76. Emigration from Massachusetts. — The intensely 
narrow spirit of the Puritan leaders, the unrestrained 
power of the magistrates, and the lack of religious free- 
dom in Massachusetts had become distasteful to many 
of the members. Accordingly, in 1635, a large body 
of colonists set out from Massachusetts. With their 
families and household goods they drove the cattle 
before them and reached the fair and fertile valley of 
the Connecticut. Here they established three towns, 
Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield. Thomas Hooker, 
the leader of the enterprise, was the pastor of a Puritan 
church in Newtown, or Cambridge. 

77. The Fundamental Orders, 1639. — A general con- 
vention of the planters of the three towns of Hartford, 
Windsor, and Wethersfield was held at Hartford, Jan. 14, 
1639, ^^d adopted a plan of government called "The 
Fundamental Orders." 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 8 1 



The Fundamental Orders were modeled on the gov- 
ernment of Massachusetts, except that the right of vot- 
ing was not limited to church members but could be 
enjoyed by all approved freemen who would take the 
oath of allegiance. The governor, however, must be a 
member of one of the Congregational churches. 

78. The New Haven Settlement. — In 1638 another 
colony was founded by a Puritan minister of the 
strictest type, John Davenport, assisted by a wealthy 



Hadley 



( SprinjfieldV-^^ ^rookfield t/ 




Cambridge JgPSTON 



Roiburj Dokohfster _C. Cud 



,5 Plymouth- 

l>M..noi,e ^ 
.S:^ APiirtsmiiutK 
i"''Ne«ljurt 




„,a»O^V>/'^- '^ 



SCALE OF MILES 



London merchant, Theophilus Eaton. Their plan was 
to establish a colony to be governed on scriptural prin- 
ciples. The place where they settled was called Ouin- 
nipiac, and a year later New Haven. The laws of 
Moses were adopted at the outset for the colony. Only 
members of the Congregational church could be voters 
or magistrates. Trial by jury was not allowed, and it 
was decreed that ''the Word of God shall be the only 
rule in ordering the affairs of government." ^ 

^ Under these laws there were twelve offenses punishable by death. 
In England in the middle of the eighteenth century there were over 
one hundred and sixty, and the number increased until the criminal law 
reform early in the last century. 



82 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Several towns were established near New Haven, and 
in 1643 New Haven, Milford, Guilford, and Stamford 
were united in one political community, called the New 
Haven colony. In 1662 this colony was absorbed by 
Connecticut^ under a charter from Charles H.^ 

79. The Pequot War. — The colonists in the mean- 
time had been exposed to a serious danger. In the 
valley of the river Thames dwelt a powerful tribe of 
Indians called the Pequots. They repeatedly attacked 
the settlements in the Connecticut valley, and the colo- 
nists at length determined to break their power. In 
1637 a company of ninety men from Connecticut, under 
Captain John Mason, and twenty from Massachusetts, 
under Captain Underbill, with seventy friendly Mohi- 
cans^ marched to the fort of the Pequots and sur- 
rounded it just before daybreak. The sleeping Indians 
awakened to find the fort in flames and completely at 
the mercy of the colonists. Of the four hundred 
Pequots within the inclosure only five escaped the 
flames and bullets. This defeat destroyed the power of 

1 Connecticut is an Indian word and is supposed to mean " the long 
river." 

2 Two of the judges who had condemned Charles I to death had 
found refuge in New Haven. When Charles II ascended the throne, 
he ordered them to be delivered up to his ofificers ; ,but they were con- 
cealed by the people, and the search for them was fruitless. This 
incensed Charles and may have assisted the Connecticut colony in its 
successful attempt to absorb the New Haven colony. 

3 The Pequots tried to induce the Mohicans and Narragansetts to 
join them and almost succeeded. Roger Williams, however, returning 
good for evil, used his great influence with these tribes, and they refused 
to aid the Pequots in their war against the colonists. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 83 

the Pequots forever. The other tribes were so terrified 
by this crushing defeat that forty years elapsed before 
the Indians again raised the war cry against the colonists. 
80. The Charter and Governor Andros. — The charter 
of Connecticut, which had been granted by Charles II, 
was taken away by his brother, James II, when he 
reached the throne. He appointed Sir Edmund Andros 
as governor of New England, and in October, 1687, he 
visited Hartford to obtain the charter. According to 
the tradition, the charter had been placed on the table, 
and while the matter was being discussed the lights 
were suddenly extinguished. When the candles were 
relighted the charter could not be found. It had been 
hidden in the hollow trunk of an oak tree, which has 
since been known as the " Charter Oak." Andros, how- 
ever, overthrew the charter government. On his down- 
fall the charter was again produced, and under it 
Connecticut was governed until the Revolution. 

SUMMARY 

In 1633 the Dutch built a fort at Hartford. 

In 1635 emigrants from Massachusetts settled Windsor, Hart- 
ford, and Wethersfield. 

In 1637 the Pequots went on the warpath. The colonists of 
Connecticut and Massachusetts attacked them, and the tribe was 
completely destroyed. 

In 1638 New Haven was founded by English Puritans. 

In 1639 ^^^ Connecticut Constitution, or Fundamental Orders, 
was drawn up at Hartford. 

In 1687 Andros overthrew the charter government; but Con- 
necticut later regained the charter, under which it was governed 
until the Revolution. 



84 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Maryland, 1634 

81. The Position of the Catholics in England. — After 
Virginia became a royal province Charles I cut off a 
territory to the north and gave it to George Calvert, 
the first Lord Baltimore. He was a rich nobleman who 
had been secretary of state under James I, but had 
resigned his position in 1625 on his conversion to the 

Catholic faith. ^ Know- 



ing the fearful hardships 
of his fellow-religion- 
ists, he desired a refuge 
for the oppressed 
CathoUcs of England. 
At this time the Cath- 
olics under the British 
crown were suffering 
from a series of the 
most inhuman laws. 
According to these 
laws any priest dis- 
covered celebrating 
Mass would be fined two hundred marks ^ and imprisoned 
for one year, while any person discovered hearing Mass 
would receive the same imprisonment, with a fine of one 

1 The king continued him as a member of his privy council for life and 
regranted to him the estates which he had forfeited when he became a 
Catholic. He also raised him to the peerage under the title of Baron 
of Baltimore, a town in the southern part of Ireland. 

2 The old English mark was worth about three dollars and twenty- 
three cents. 




George Calvert, First Lord Baltimore 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 



85 



hundred marks. Any person who refused to attend the 
services of the Church of England was forbidden to hold 
any office, to bear arms, or to come within ten miles of 
London. They were also forbidden to travel more than 
five miles without a special license or to come into court 
under a penalty of five hundred dollars. No Catholic 
could teach school under penalty of perpetual imprison- 
ment, while any Catholic who sent his child abroad to be 
educated lost all his legal rights and real estate and was 
required to pay a fine of five hundred dollars. Any priest 
or bishop, born under the British 
crown, who returned to England 
from abroad and failed to renounce 
his religion within three days, was 
guilty of high treason, the punish- 
ment of which was death. 

82. The Grant of Maryland.— To 
give a place of refuge to his perse- 
cuted fellow-Catholics, George Cal- 
vert tried to found a settlement in 
Newfoundland, but it was too cold. 
Later he attempted to settle in 
Virginia, but the colonists there 
drove him away on account of his Catholic faith. Still 
determined to carry out his plans, he returned to Eng- 
land and obtained from the king a grant of that part 
of Virginia lying between the Potomac and the fortieth 
degree of north latitude. At the request of the king, 
the territory was called Maryland in honor of his queen, 
Henrietta Maria. 




86 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

83. The Maryland Charter. — Lord Baltimore was 
given the most extensive rights and privileges ever con- 
ferred by a sovereign of England. He was required to 
pay to the king each year, in token of homage, two Indian 
arrows and a fifth of all the gold and silver mined. He 
could coin money, grant titles of nobility, make war 
and peace, estabHsh courts, appoint judges, and pardon 
criminals. He was required, however, to summon an 
assembly of the freemen, who alone could levy taxes; all 
enactments needed only his signature, and not that of 
the king, to have the binding effect of law. 

84. Settlement at St. Marys. — Lord Baltimore died 
before the charter was signed, and his son, Cecil Calvert, 
the second Lord Baltimore, carried out his father's plans. 
With two vessels, in charge of Leonard Calvert, brother 
of the proprietor, the colonists, two hundred and twenty 
in number, with Father White and two other Jesuits, 
entered Chesapeake Bay and sailed up the Potomac. At 
St. Clements island they landed and took possession. 
Father White consecrated the soil, and the first Mass in 
English America was celebrated March 25, 1634. A 
settlement which they named St. Marys was founded. 
Land was purchased from the Indians, and this gained 
their good will at the outset. 

85. The Toleration Act. — Cecil Calvert had instructed 
his brother, on setting sail, '* to be very careful to preserve 
unity and peace and to suffer no scandal nor offence to 
be given to any of the Protestants." That this instruc- 
tion was followed to the letter is evident from the tolera- 
tion and peace among the colonists. In 1649, however, 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 8/ 

it was deemed best to put the principle of religious free- 
dom in the form of law, the first enactment in the land 
that gave equal rights in religion to all Christians. The 
act read as follows : *' And whereas the enforcing of the 
conscience in matters of religion hath frequently fallen 
out to be of dangerous consequence in those common- 
wealths where it hath been practised, and for the more 




W^ 



















▼ -^^gWl » >^^>^lii' I III I I III 




/I L' MW^- 




The Landing in Maryland 



quiet and peaceable government of this province, and 
the better to preserve mutual love and amity among the 
inhabitants, no person within this province, professing to 
believe in Jesus Christ,^ shall be in any ways troubled, 
molested or discountenanced for his or her religion or 

1 This provision excluded Jews from the suffrage. It was not until 
1826 that they were allowed to vote and to hold office. 



88 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

in the free exercise thereof." Under these humane laws 
the colony greatly flourished. Lord Baltimore invited 
the oppressed of all lands to join his colony, and in answer 
to his invitation, says Bancroft, "from France came 
Huguenots, from Germany, from Holland, from Sweden, 
from Finland, I believe from Piedmont, the children of 
misfortune sought protection under the tolerant sceptre 
of the Roman Catholic." ^ 

86. Clayborne^s Rebellion ; Repeal of Toleration Act. — 
The inflowing of new settlers, many of them Puritans, 
threatened disaster to the colony. Many Virginia colo- 
nists, aided by the Puritans, invaded Maryland under 
William Clayborne. They overthrew the government 
and drove out Lord Baltimore.^ He returned two years 
later, however, with a strong force and in August, 1646, 
regained possession of the government. In 1691 Wil- 
liam and Mary, who had obtained the English throne, 
repealed the charter of Maryland, and it became a royal 
province. Lord Baltimore was stripped of his rights. 
The Act of Toleration was repealed, and the persecution 
of the Catholics at once began. They were forbidden to 
vote or to hold any office ; they were denied the privilege 
of hearing Mass or holding any religious services. The 

1 Calvert deserves to be ranked among the most wise and benevo- 
lent lawgivers of all ages. He was the first in the history of the Chris- 
tian world to seek for religious security and peace by the practice of 
justice and not by the exercise of power. — Bancroft. 

2 Fathers White and Copley were arrested, loaded with chains, and 
sent to England for trial. The charge against them was that they had 
been ordained priests abroad and had come into England, a crime 
punishable with death. They were acquitted. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 89 

Church of England was established by law and all the 
inhabitants of the colony taxed for its support.^ 

The land taxes of the Catholics were doubled, and 
they were compelled to pay tithes amounting to forty 
pounds of tobacco for the support of the Church of 
England. 

The capital was removed to its present site and called 
Annapolis, which became a city in 1708. 

In 1 7 14 Benedict Leonard Calvert renounced his Cath- 
olic faith, and to his son, Charles Calvert, a Protestant, 
the province was restored. In 1 729 the city of Balti- 
more was founded. Maryland remained a proprietary 
colony until the Revolution. 

SUMMARY 

• 

Lord Baltimore obtained a grant of land to found a colony in 
the New World for the oppressed Catholics of England. In 1634 
the settlement of St. Marys was made. 

In 1649 the Toleration Act, the first measure in America to 
give religious freedom to all Christians, was enacted. Later the 
Puritans obtained control. Lord Baltimore was deprived of his 
colony, and the Toleration Act was overthrown. 

In 1 69 1 Lord Baltimore, who had again obtained possession of 
his colony, was stripped of his rights under William and Mary, and 
persecution of the Catholics followed. 

In 1 714 the fourth Lord Baltimore renounced his Catholic 
faith and his son later regained the property. 

In 1729 the city of Baltimore was founded. 

1 Maryland presented the picture of a province founded for the 
sake of religious opinion by the toil and treasure of Roman Catholics, 
in which of all who called themselves Christian, none, save Roman 
Catholics, were denied toleration. — Rev. Dr. Mawks. 



90 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Rhode Island, 1636 

87. Roger Williams founds Providence. — We have 
already seen (p. 72) that Roger Williams was compelled 
to flee from the Massachusetts bay colony. In the midst 
of winter he plunged into the forest and sought protec- 
tion in the hospitable tent of Massasoit, the Indian chief. 
Heading again towards Narragansett bay, he began to 
build a home on the Seekonk river. Scarcely had he 
done this when the governor of Plymouth^ requested 
him to leave as he was in the territory of that colony. 
Departing from his cabin and his newly planted fields, 
WilHams pushed on. Reaching a favorable site, he 
established a settlement which he called Providence.^ 

88. Settlement of Portsmouth and Newport. — In 1638 
friends of Anne Hutchinson bought from the Narragan- 
setts the island of Aquidneck, afterwards called Rhode 
Island. Dissensions, however, soon arose, and some of 
the colonists moved to the southern end of the island 
and founded a colony which was named Newport. The 

1 I received a letter from my ancient friend, Mr. Winslow, then 
governor of Plymoutli, professing his own and others' love and respect 
to me yet lovingly advising me since I was fallen into the edge of their 
bounds ... to remove but to the other side of the water . . . and we 
should be loving neighbors together. — Letter of Roger Williams. 

2 Coasting along the stream and round the headlands now known 
as Fox Point and India Point, up the harbor to the mouth of the 
Mooshausic River, he landed and upon the beautiful slope of the hill 
that ascends from the river he descried the spring around which he 
commenced the first plantations of Providence. — Gammell. "Provi- 
dence was so named because of God's merciful providence unto me in 
my distress," says Williams. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 91 

old settlement was called Portsmouth. These different 
colonies were united afterwards by a charter which Roger 
Williams secured in England,^ and were called "The 
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." 

89. Religious Toleration. — Roger Williams had suf- 
fered so much for his religious opinions that he established 
his new colony along broad religious lines. "The state," 
he declared, " was similar to a ship at sea on which there 
are many passengers. As on shipboard every passenger 
is allowed to use his own judgment as to attendance 
at the ship's prayers, so in the state no one should be 
compelled to attend religious services against his will ; 
but should be obedient to the orders of the majority only 
in civil things." The laws of 1663, therefore, declared 
"that all men professing Christianity . . . who are 
obedient to the civil magistrate, though of different 
judgments in religious affairs, shall be admitted freemen 
and shall have liberty to choose and be chosen officers 
in the colony." 

From 1 7 1 9 (when a new arrangement of the laws was 
made) until the Revolution the Catholics, together with 
the Jews, were denied the rights of citizenship.^ 

1 Roger Williams was compelled on his trip to England to sail from 
New York as Massachusetts refused to allow him to cross her soil to 
reach the port of Boston. 

2 As late as 1762 two Jews applied for citizenship, but the Superior 
Court rejected their application. The colony, however, in general was 
extremely liberal in religious matters. When the other New England 
colonies asked Providence to join with them in persecuting the Quakers, 
to its honor it refused. 



92 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



SUMMARY 

In 1636 Roger Williams, exiled from Massachusetts, founded 
the city of Providence. A short time afterward Portsmouth and 
Newport were founded by the friends of Anne Hutchinson. Roger 
Williams believed in freedom of worship, and the colony shares 
with Maryland the honor of establishing the principle of religious 
freedom. 

New Sweden, or Delaware, 1638 

90. The Swedes on the Delaware. — In 1623 the 
Dutch West India Company established a trading post 



on the banks of the Delaware, just 
below the present site of Phila- 
delphia, and called it Fort Nassau. 
About the same time Gustavus 
Adolphus, king of Sweden, formed 
a company to trade with America. 
In 1638 the Swedes, though they 
had no title to the land, erected 
Fort Christina — named in honor 
of the queen of Sweden — on the 
present site of Wilmington, Dela- 
ware. This territory was claimed by the Dutch,^ and in 
1655 Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam, appeared 
with an army of seven hundred men before the fort, which 
at once surrendered, and New Sweden was-'at an end. 

91. The English Conquest of Delaware. — In 1665 the 
English, who had taken New Netherlands from the Dutch, 
captured Delaware. In 1682 Penn, who desired to give 

1 As a matter of fact this territory rightfully belonged to Lord Balti- 
more as it was part of Maryland. 




PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 93 

his colony an outlet to the sea, bought Delaware — called 
also *' The Three Lower Counties " — from the Duke 
of York. For many years there was friction between 
Pennsylvania and Delaware, but after 1703 Delaware 
was allowed a separate legislature, although it had the 
same governor as Pennsylvania until the Revolution. 

SUMMARY 

In 1623 the Dutch established a trading post on the Delaware, 
and in 1638 the Swedes made the first permanent settlement. It 
was captured from the Swedes by the Dutch. Later the English 
took possession and sold it to Penn, whereby it became a part 
of Pennsylvania. In 1703 Delaware became a separate province 
under the governor of Pennsylvania. 

The Carolinas, 1663 

92. Grant of Carolina. — South of Virginia St. Augus- 
tine was the only thriving settlement on the Atlantic 
coast. In 1663 Charles II made a grant to eight noble- 
men, among them being his devoted friends ^ George 
Monk, duke of Albemarle, and Edward Hyde, earl of 
Clarendon. This grant embraced the fertile tract of 
land stretching from Virginia to Florida^ and extending 
westward to the Pacific. As this land had been called 
Carolina by Ribaut in honor of Charles IX of France a 
hundred years before, the new proprietors allowed the 
name to remain in honor of the king of England. 

1 To the Duke of Albemarle Charles was largely indebted for the 
throne of England, while Clarendon had befriended him in his exile. 

2 In this tract of land are included the present states of Mississippi, 
Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 



94 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



93. Early Settlements ; Foundation of Charleston. — 

The early settlements which had been made on the 

Chowan river were formed (1663) mto a colony and 

named Albemarle. 

In 1665 a wealthy planter, Sir John Yeamans, founded 

a colony on the Cape Fear river. It was called Clar- 
endon, after one 
of the proprie- 



tors. In 1670 
emigrants sent 



-Wan; ._ 




by the proprie- 
tors settled near 
the junction of 
the Ashley and 
Cooper rivers, 
but ten years 
later, in 1680, 
they moved to 
the tract of land 
between these 
rivers and established the city of Charleston.^ Immi- 
grants at once flocked to the new settlement from New 
York, Massachusetts, England, and even from France. 

94. Locke's Fundamental Constitutions. — Among the 
proprietors was Lord Shaftesbury. His secretary was 
John Locke, afterwards famous as an English philoso- 
pher. Locke drew up a constitution for the colony which 
was called the " Fundamental Constitutions," or ''Grand 



1 The proprietors wrote in regard to the new city, " You are to take 
notice and call it Charles-Town." 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 95 

Model." This scheme of government hoped to transplant 
to America the aristocratic ideas of Europe. In order to 
avoid "erecting a numerous democracy " it provided for 
a carefully graded society from the higher nobility down 
to serfs attached to the soil. It decreed that no colonist 
could vote unless he owned fifty or more acres of land, 
and that no settler could leave the land without permis- 
sion of the proprietor. It pretended to give religious 
freedom, while it denied that freedom to Catholics, and 
established the Church of England as that of the state.^ 
The settlers, breathing the free air of the New World, 
laughed at the scheme, and the Grand Model was a dis- 
mal failure. Its only effect was to inspire contempt for 
all forms of government. 

Some years later the colonists obtained the right to 
make their own laws, while the proprietors were to 
receive an annual rent of a half penny per acre. 

As slaves were especially valuable for the cultivation 
of rice and indigo, the two leading commodities, the 
slave trade in southern Carolina became very active. 
The principal settlers were English, French, Irish, 
Scotch, and Germans. Under Baron de Graffenried, 
the Germans settled Newbern. 

After Charleston was founded a separate governor 
generally ruled the northern and southern parts of Caro- 
lina. In 1729 the king purchased Carolina from the 
proprietors, and North and South Carolina became 
separate provinces. 

1 By the Act of 1704 to be a member of the assembly one must 
belong to the Church of I'",ngland. 



96 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

SUMMARY 

In 1663 King Charles II granted to a body of noblemen the tract 
of land named Carolina. The constitution framed for the colony, 
and called the " Grand Model " was written by Locke, the philoso- 
pher. The plan was a failure. Later North and South Carolina 
were separated and became royal colonies. 

Pennsylvania, 1681 

95. The Grant to Penn. — The foremost man among 
the Quakers in England was William Penn.^ His father 
had been a distinguished admiral, to whom King Charles 
owed about eighty thousand dollars for services to his 
country. After his father's death Penn asked from the 
king the grant of a tract of land in America to balance 
the debt. The king gladly consented to free himself in 
this easy manner and granted, in 1681, a tract forty- 
eight thousand square miles in extent, fronting on the 
Delaware river and practically comprising the present 
state of Pennsylvania. To this region the name Penn- 
sylvania (Penn's woods), after Admiral Penn, was given. 
Penn desired to establish a free commonwealth where 
the people might enjoy perfect freedom, at the same 
time rendering strict obedience to the civil authorities. 
Said Penn, " Liberty without obedience is confusion and 
obedience without liberty is slavery." The colonists had 
almost complete power of self-government. Each settler 
obtained one hundred acres of land for fifty dollars. 

1 While a student at Oxford Penn, being a Quaker, had refused to 
attend the religious services of the university. It is claimed by many 
that he was expelled in consequence. 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 



97 



The charter of privileges provided that no person beUev- 
ing in one God should be molested on account of religion, 
but only those who were Christians could take part in 
the government.^ 

It also provided that the Indians should be treated 
with justice and kindness, that every child should be 
taught a trade, and that criminals 
in jails should be employed in some 
useful occupation. He abolished 
the death penalty except for murder 
and treason. 

In October, 1681, three ship- 
loads of Quakers left England, and 
in 1682 Penn himself sailed with a 
hundred emigrants. He landed at 
Newcastle, ^ in the territory which 
is now Delaware, but which had 
been purchased by him from the Duke of York in 1681. 
He was cordially welcomed by the Swedes and Dutch 
who had settled there. 

1 The colony soon receded somewhat from the broad ground of 
religious freedom assumed by William Penn. From 1693 ^^ ^775 ^^ 
one could hold even the most petty office in the province without taking 
an oath denying the Real Presence and declaring Mass idolatrous. — 
Dr. Shea. 

2 When Penn reached Newcastle the government was transferred 
in the following manner: "The key to the fort was delivered to him: 
with this he locked himself in the fort and then let himself out in sign 
that the government was his. To show that the land with the trees 
on it belonged to him, a piece of sod with a twig in it was given to him. 
Then a porringer (or dish) filled with water from the river was given 
to him that he might be lord of the rivers as well as of the land." — 
Eggleston's History of the United States and its People, p. 59. 




98 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

96. Philadelphia founded ; Treaty with the Indians. — 

A city was marked out on the Schuylkill in 1682, to which 
the name Philadelphia (brotherly lov^e) was given. The 
liberal laws regarding religion and Penn's high character 
attracted settlers in great numbers, among them being 
Swedes, Germans, and a very large number of Irish. 
Soon after his arrival Penn, mindful of his Quaker 
beliefs, made a visit to the Indian wigwams to secure 
the good will of the red men. In 1682 a treaty of 
peace was made with the Delaware Indians. Standing 
under a wide-spreading elm, Penn and the Indians clasped 
hands and made solemn promises of friendship. For 
sixty years, while the Quakers had control of Pennsyl- 
vania, this peace remained unbroken and Penn was 
always loved and trusted by the red men. The Indian 
record of this treaty is a belt of wampum, which may 
be seen to this day in Philadelphia. So rapidly did 
the colony grow that three years after Penn's arrival it 
contained almost eight thousand inhabitants, and Phila- 
delphia was the largest city in the colonies at the out- 
break of the Revolution. 

SUMMARY 

The colony of Pennsylvania ^ was granted to William Penn, a 
Quaker, by Charles II, king of England. In 1681 the first colo- 
nists arrived, and Philadelphia was founded in 1682. A treaty 
was made with the Indians and faithfully kept while the Quakers 
were in power. 

1 The boundaries of Pennsylvania were for many years a subject of 
dispute. In 1762 Mason and Dixon, English mathematicians and sur- 
veyors, surveyed the southern boundary as far as the western limit of 



PERMANENT COLONIAL SETTLEMENTS 



Georgia, 1733 



99 



97. The Grant to Oglethorpe. — General James Ogle- 
thorpe, an English soldier, obtained from George II a 
grant of land between the Savannah and the Altamaha 
rivers, extending westerly from the sources of these 
rivers to the Pacific. Oglethorpe's leading motive was 
the establishment of a home for the poor debtors of 
England. Under the English law, for a debt of even 
one shilling a man could be imprisoned, and the jails 
were filled with the unfortunates who had not the means 
to pay their debts. They were subjected to the utmost 
cruelties, and many died before relief came. 

Oglethorpe formed a company and made arrangements 
to pay these debts, to free the debtors, and to send them 
to America. He was assisted by hundreds of charitable 
people in England and by a grant of fifty thousand 
dollars from Parliament. 

98. Settlement of Savannah, 1732. — In November, 
1732, Oglethorpe sailed with one hundred and twenty 
persons to Charleston, where he was hospitably received. 
Cruising southward, he entered the Savannah river and 
laid the foundation of a town, which he named Savannah. 
A treaty was made with the Indians, the land pur- 
chased from them, and their good will secured. The 
laws of the colony provided that the trustees should 

Maryland, marking it with stones one mile apart, every fifth stone hav- 
ing the Penn arms on the north side and the Baltimore arms on the 
south side. This was the origin of the Mason and Dixon's line (39"^ 43')* 
in later years the conventional boundary between the free and slave 
states. 



fC 



lOO ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

rule it for twenty-one years, at the end of which time the 
king should decree what form of government it was to 
receive. The laws forbade negro slavery^ and the impor- 
tation of spirituous liquors. They permitted no one to 
own more than five hundred acres of land. Catholics 
were forbidden to settle there, and the Church of Eng- 
land was established, the people being taxed to support it. 

99. War with Spain. — A second reason for the set- 
tlement of Georgia was the desire to check any north- 
ward movement of the Spaniards from Florida. In 1739 
war was declared between England and Spain, and Ogle- 
thorpe led an expedition into Florida against the Span- 
iards. He besieged the town of St. Augustine with two 
thousand men. The Spaniards made a gallant defense, 
and Oglethorpe was compelled to return to Georgia. 
The Spaniards then took the offensive and, entering 
Georgia, attacked Oglethorpe at Frederica in May, 1 744. 
They were repulsed and withdrew with heavy loss. 

Under Oglethorpe's laws Georgia made slow progress. 
Discontent was apparent everywhere. The land laws 
were unsatisfactory, and at length, in 1752, the trustees 
surrendered the colony to the crown. It became there- 
upon a royal colony. Georgia was the last colony planted 
by England in America. 

SUMMARY 

Georgia was founded by Oglethorpe as a refuge for the debtors 
in English prisons. Catholics were forbidden to enter the colony. 
In 1733 Savannah, the first settlement, was founded. 

1 There were, however, many indentured white servants in the colony. 



CHAPTER VI 

FRENCH EXPLORATIONS 

100. The Missionaries. — We have already seen how 
the French estabhshed a settlement on the St, Law- 
rence in 1608 and called it Quebec. It was a point 
of the greatest military value, on the highway to the 
Great Lakes and the valley of the Mississippi. Cham- 
plain, recognizing the importance of gaining the sympathy 
of the Indians, invited the Franciscans from France to 
establish missions among the tribes. One of these 
Franciscans penetrated as far as lake Huron, ^ where 
he established in 16 15 a settlement at Thunder bay. 
In 1625 the Jesuits came to New France. They trav- 
ersed the forest and established missions during the 
next fifty years at Mackinac, St. Ignace, Sault Ste. 
Marie,^ Green Bay, Kaskaskia, and many other places. 
Father Menard founded in 1661 a mission on the 
southern shore of lake Superior at St. Teresas bay. 
He lost his life in attempting to visit some Christian 

1 Jean Nicolet, a brave Norman, who came to New France in 1618, 
explored the region around lakes Huron and Michigan from 1634 to 
1640. 

2 Thus did the religious zeal of the French bear the cross to the 
banks of the St. Mary and the confines of Lake Superior and look wist- 
fully toward the homes of the Sioux in the valley of the Mississippi, five 
years before the New England Eliot had addressed a tribe of Indians 
that dwelt within six miles of Boston Harbor. — BANCRoF"r. 



I02 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Hurons. Father Allouez^ at once took up the work 
and estabhshed a mission at La Pointe, one of the 
Apostle islands, near the present site of Ashland, Wis- 
consin. He was later joined by Father Dablon, superior 
of the Canadian missions, and by the great missionary 
whose name will forever adorn the pages of our history, 
— Father James Marquette. 

101. Marquette and Jolliet^ explore the Mississippi, 
1673. — Frontenac, the governor of New France, 
desired to find a route to the South sea and chose 
Louis Jolliet, a Montreal trader, for the enterprise. In 
May, 1673, Father Marquette and Jolliet, with five com- 
panions, left St. Ignace mission in north Michigan to 
seek a great river to the west, of which they had heard 
many wonderful stories from the Indians. Dragging 
their light canoes up the rapids of the Fox river, they 
crossed lake Winnebago and soon discovered the Wis- 
consin river. Drifting down its beautiful waters, on 
June 17, 1673, a month after their departure, at the spot 
where Prairie du Chien now stands, they entered the great 
river called by the Indians Mississippi, but named by 
Father Marquette, Conception. *'The first white men 
ventured forth upon its upper channel in two birch canoes. 
Five hardy voices raised a shout which was thrown back 
in an echo from the hills; five caps were whirled as high 
as paddles could raise them. But Marquette said : * This 

1 In 1899 the Wisconsin Historical Society erected a tablet at 
Depere to the memory of Father Allouez, the founder of Wisconsin's 

'first Indian missions. 

2 The explorer himself wrote his name Jolliet. The city named in 
his honor is spelled Joliet. 



FRENCH EXPLORATIONS 



103 



is such joy as we can not express.' The men in both 
canoes silenced themselves while he gave thanks for the 
discovery. "1 Sailing down the majestic river, amid its 
awful solitudes, they passed the Ohio, and on the way 
told the native tribes the truths of Christianity. They 
soon reached the spot where, according to tradition, 
De Soto died one hundred and thirty-one years before. 
Fearing to fall into the hands of the Spaniards, they 
now set out on the return journey. Ascending the 
Illinois river, Father Marquette ministered to the Kas- 
kaskias. Thence pushing onward, they entered lake 
Michigan and reached Green Bay in September, having 
traveled no less than two thousand five hundred miles 
in their light canoes. 

Jolliet and a few companions returned to Montreal.^ 
One year later Father Marquette set out again to estab- 
lish a mission among the Kaskaskias. Scarcely had he 
reached their village when he fell ill, and, desiring to 
pass his last hours among his faithful companions at 
St. Ignace, he started homeward. But the days of 
the saintly explorer and missionary were numbered. 
While his companions were trying to hurry him upon 
his journey he died on the shore of lake Michigan^ 

1 Mary Hartwell Catherwood's Heroes of the Middle West. 

2 Jolliet 's canoe was upset in the Lachine rapids, and he barely 
escaped with his life. All his papers and maps describing his great 
journey were lost, but Father Marquette wrote a narrative which 
appeared in Paris in 1681. 

^ His death occurred near the present site of Ludington. Later his 
body was transferred to the mission of St. Ignace, where a monument 
marks his last resting place. A statue of Father Marquette has been 
placed in the capitol at Washington by the state of Wisconsin. 



I04 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



on the 19th of May, 1675, thanking God that he was 
permitted to die in the wilderness, a member of the 
Jesuit Order. 

102. Robert de la Salle. — In 1679 Robert de la Salle 
launched on the Niagara river a vessel of forty-five 

tons, named the Griffitiy 
to explore the Great 
Lakes and the Missis- 
sippi. With three 
Franciscans he sailed 
through lakes Erie, 
Huron, and Michigan 
and touched at St. 
Ignace. Stocking the 
Griffin with furs, he 
dispatched the vessel 
back to Fort Fronte- 
nac for provisions. 
La Salle ^ now sent one 
of his companions. Father Louis Hennepin, with two 
comrades to explore the upper Mississippi. In a few 
weeks they fell into the hands of the Sioux Indians, 
who led them captive to the site of the present city of 

1 Second only to Champlain among the heroes of Canadian history 
stands Robert Cavelier de la Salle, a man of iron, if ever there was one 
— a man austere and cold in manner and endowed with such indomi- 
table pluck and perseverance as have never been surpassed in this 
world. He did more than any other man to extend the Dominion of 
France in the new world. As Champlain had founded the colony of 
Quebec and opened the way to the Great Lakes, so La Salle completed 
the discovery of the Mississippi and added to the French possessions 
the vast province of Louisiana. — FrsKE. 




Father Marquette 



FRENCH EXPLORATIONS 105 

St. Paul.^ Father Hennepin named the raging cascade 
here falls of St. Anthony in honor of the great saint of 
his order.2 

La Salle with fourteen men in four canoes sailed south- 
ward and built a fort at the mouth of the St. Joseph 
river, which he called Fort Miami. Ascending the 
St. Joseph river and crossing to the Kankakee, he 
drifted down this stream and built a fort, which he called 
Crevecoeur (heartbreak). Here he waited for tidings 
from the Griffin, but they never came. He determined, 
therefore, to leave Crevecoeur in charge of his friend 
Henri de Tonty and to return to Fort Frontenac, a 
thousand miles away. In the midst of winter, with 
only five companions he turned backward on his fearful 
journey. He reached the fort in May, gathered new 
supplies, and returned with twenty-five companions. He 
found Fort Crevecoeur in ruins and no trace of Tonty 
and his companions. After searching in vain for his 
friend he sailed down the river to the mouth of the 
Illinois, and before him spread the great Mississippi. 

He left a letter tied to a tree and hoped that Tonty 
might find it. Then returning to Fort Miami, he was 
compelled to spend the winter there. During this time 
he made friends among the Indian tribes. In May 
he returned to St. Ignace, where, to his inexpressible 
delight, he met his friend Tonty. 

1 Father Galtier erected (1841) a little chapel here dedicated to St. 
Paul. It was from this chapel that the city of St. Paul received its name. 

2 St. Anthony of Padua. Father Hennepin and his companions were 
soon rescued by the hunter Du Lhut. 



Io6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 




103. Further Explorations of La Salle ; his Death ; 
New Orleans founded. — La Salle was not yet satisfied. 
With fifty-four companions he again sailed down the 
Illinois. Entering the Mississippi, he passed the mouths 
of the Missouri and the Red river and in April, 1682, 



FRENCH EXPLORATIONS 107 

reached the mouth of the Mississippi. Here he erected 
a cross and a cokimn to which he fastened a metal plate, 
bearing the arms of France and the date. Claiming all 
the land drained by the river for the king of France, 
he named this vast region Louisiana in honor of his 
sovereign, Louis XIV. 

He soon sailed for France to tell the king of the 
wonderful country he had explored and the necessity of 
colonizing it. The king agreed with him, and La Salle 
returned with an expedition of four ships. In passing 
he missed the mouths of the Mississippi and landed at 
Matagorda bay in Texas, four hundred miles west of 
that river. He searched in vain for the Mississippi and 
was murdered by some of his followers March 18, 1678. 
All the colony perished later at the hands of the Indians. 

In 1699 Iberville, who had obtained permission from 
the French king to found a city at the mouth of the 
Mississippi, entered the river and explored its course for 
several days. He next built a fort at Biloxi. In 1700 
Mobile was founded. In 1 7 1 8 Bienville, a brother of Iber- 
ville, founded the city of New Orleans, thus controlling 
the great river of the continent. In the meantime the 
French had been active in the North. A great hunter 
and ranger, Du Lhut, founded a post which has since 
been named Duluth in liis honor. In 1701 Cadillac 
built a fort on the strait which connects lakes Frie and 
Huron and called it Detroit, and a 3'car later Vincennes 
was founded. It was the establishment of military jx^sts 
throughout this vast territory that eventually brought on 
a life struggle between the English and the I^'rench. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND THE FRENCH 

IN AMERICA 

104. King William's War,i 1689-1697.-11 will be 
remembered that in the charters the grants of most 
of the colonies stretched from sea to sea. The French 
had now taken possession of the Mississippi valley, a 
territory which was claimed by the English. There 
could be only one result from disputes about this terri- 
tory, — war, which was declared in 1689. Another 
cause for war was the fact that James II, who had fled 
from England, had taken refuge in France, and the king 
of France was striving to replace him on the throne. 
Count Frontenac was sent to America to look after the 
French interests. He at once planned to capture New 
York. The Iroquois were bitter foes of the French, 
while the Algonquins were their stanch friends. On 
his arrival Frontenac learned that the Iroquois had 
invaded Canada, besieged Montreal, and had burned 
captives at tiie stake with fiendish cruelty. It was now 
the turn of the French and their Indian allies. In Feb- 
ruary, 1690, they swept southward, surprised and cap- 
tured Schenectady, burned the town, and massacred the 
inhabitants. Now followed a period of the most horrible 

1 So called from William III, who at that time sat on the throne of 
England. 

108 



WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH 109 



warfare. Salmon Falls, New Hampshire ; York and Fort 
Loyal (now Portland, Maine) ; Grot on and Haverhill, 
Massachusetts, were attacked and many of the inhab- 




North America at Beginning of French Wars 

itants massacred. In 1690 New England organized an 
expedition of two thousand militia under Sir William 
Phips which captured Port Royal, Acadia. The war 



no ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

closed in 1697. Neither side had gained or lost any 
valuable territory. 

105. The War of the Spanish Succession, ^ 170.2-1718. 
— King William died in 1 702, and Anne became queen 
of England. War was renewed between France and 
England. The Indians spread death and destruction on 
all sides, not only on the frontiers but even in the inte- 
rior of the colonies. They attacked Deerfield in 1704 
and Haverhill in 1708, putting to death the inhabitants. 
Two years later an expedition from Boston captured 
Port Royal (which had been returned to the French at 
the close of King William's War) and changed its name 
to Annapolis in honor of the queen. 

A force was led in 171 1 against Quebec. Many of 
the ships were wrecked in the gulf of St. Lawrence, and 
the expedition returned an utter failure. The war ended 
in 171 3. The French lost Acadia, which the English 
named Nova Scotia. To the English were also ceded 
Newfoundland and the Hudson bay territory. The 
French also agreed that the Iroquois should be con- 
sidered subjects of Great Britain .2 

106. War of the Austrian Succession/^ 1 744-1 748. — 
Peace lasted for thirty years, when war was again 
declared. George II was now king of England. The 
principal point of attack was Louisburg, a strong 

1 This war was so called in Europe because the European nations 
objected to a French prince's obtaining the throne of Spain. It is also 
called Queen Anne's War. 

- This provision gave England an opportunity later to claim the 
entire country over which the Iroquois roamed as English territory. 

3 This war is also called King George's War. 



WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH in 

fortress on the southeast coast of Cape Breton island. 
A union of forces from New Hampshire, Connec- 
ticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts to the num- 
ber of four thou- 




sand sailed under 
William Peppercll 
against this mas- 
sive granite forti- 
fication. After a 
siege of six weeks 
it was captured in 
June, 1745. Three 
years later, by the 
treaty of peace, 
Louisburg was returned to the French^ to the great 
disappointment of the colonies. 

107. The Seven Years' War,'-^ 1756-1763. — We now 
approach the last great conflict between the French and 
English in the New World. 

The French had command of the great water ways, 
the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi. A chain of forts 
had been established along the St. Lawrence and the 
Great Lakes, on the Wabash and Illinois rivers, and 
down the Mississippi to the mouth of that mighty stream, 
where the white flag of France waved over the city of 
New Orleans. That line of forts — Detroit, St. Joseph, 



1 Louisburg was exchanged for Madras in India, which had fallen into 
the hands of the French. England paid back to the colonies the amount 
they had spent in the expedition. 

- This war is frequently called the French and IndianWar. 



112 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Vincennes, Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Chartres, New Orleans — 
gave the French control of the vast tract called Louisiana. 
They were now taking possession, as we shall see, of 
the Ohio valley in the name of Louis XV, and were 
building forts along the headwaters of the Ohio, beside 
the Allegheny river, on lake Erie, and at Niagara. 

The French had the 
sympathy and support 
of the entire Algonquin 
family, but the Iroquois 
were held for the English 
by William Johnson.^ 
The English-speaking 
colonists were, for the 
most part, along the 
Atlantic seaboard. 
They had now begun to turn their eyes across the Alle- 
ghenies, but the French line of settlements and forts 
seemed to present an unbroken front, preventing their 
westward progress. 

108. The Ohio Company ; George Washington. — In 
1750 a number of Virginians organized the Ohio Com- 
pany for the purpose of opening up lands along the Ohio. 
They obtained from the king a grant of five hundred 
thousand acres of land, mainly along the Monongahela 
and Kanawha rivers, and sent surveyors to mark out 




The White Flag of France 



1 William Johnson was of Irish birth and had settled near Schenec- 
tady to manage his estates. His dealings with the Indians had so 
endeared him to them that the Mohawks had adopted him into their 
tribe with the rank of sachem. 



WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH 113 

the land. The French took alarm at this invasion of 
their territory and immediately erected a fort at Presque 
Isle (now Erie, Pennsylvania) on lake Erie. Directly 
south they built a second fort called Le Bceuf,^ and a 
third named Venango, on the Allegheny. Governor 
Dinwiddle of Virginia sent a young man, only twenty- 
one years of age, an adjutant general in the Virginia 
militia, to order them to cease building these forts on 
English territory. This young man was George Wash- 
ington, whose name appears here for the first time in 
the pages of history. 

109. The French at Fort Duquesne. — The French 
promptly and firmly declined to yield to Dinwiddle's 
order. The latter, seeing there was no time to be 
wasted or the Ohio valley would be lost, sent a force 
under a trader, William Trent, to build a fort at the 
junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. 
This point Washington had marked as of great military 
value. The French came up as the English were at 
work and compelled them to leave. Finishing the fort 
themselves, they called it F^ort Duquesne ^ in honor of the 
governor of Canada. Washington with seventy-five men 
hastened to the assistance of Trent, but was informed 
of Trent's surrender before he had traveled far. He 
decided to push on, however, and after journeying some 
days, built a stockade, which he called Fort Necessity. 
Hearing of the approach of a body of French and Indi- 
ans, he sallied out and captured them; but the main body 

1 Le Boeuf (Le Berf). 

2 Duquesne (Du-kane'). 



114 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



of the French now appeared, and Washington, besieged in 
Fort Necessity, was compelled to surrender, July 4, 1754. 
110. The Albany Convention, i754« — Virginia now 
voted a gift of land to every man who would go to the 
front, and fifty thousand dollars were appropriated for 
military operations on the Ohio. At a meeting in 




SCALE or MILES 
50 160 %) 



Albany, which had been called by the English govern- 
ment to make a treaty with the Iroquois, Benjamin Frank- 
lin proposed a "plan of union " for the colonies against 
the French.^ While the scheme did not succeed, it was 
of great importance as it gave the colonies a groundwork 
for future union. At the same time the convention 
made the colonists better acquainted with each other 
and paved the way for the later union against England. 

1 In the Pennsylvania Gazette of this time appeared a device repre- 
senting a snake cut into pieces. Each piece represented a colony and 
beneath were the words " Unite or Die." Its author was Franklin. 



WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH 115 



111. Plan of Campaign; Braddock's Defeat. — The 

English king now sent over two regiments of regulars 
under General Braddock. On his arrival Braddock sum- 
moned the colonial governors to Alexandria, 
Virginia, to discuss plans for carrying on the 
war. It was j^roposed to send an expedition 
against L^ort Duquesne ; a second force planned 
to take the forts on lake Champlain, opening 
that route to Quebec and Montreal, while a 
third army was to sail up 
the Hudson, to pass along 
the Mohawk valley, and, 
skirting the shores of lake 
Ontario, to attack the forts 
near the Niagara river. 
Braddock commanded in 
person the expedition against Fort Duquesne. Ignorant 
though he was of Indian warfare, he scorned advice and, 
looking with contempt on the skill of the Indians in 
war, pushed his way through the woods toward Fort 
Duquesne. When within eight miles of the fort he 
found his troops surrounded by the enemy, who were 
hidden in the bushes, while from every side poured in 
the bullets of the French and Indians. His forces were 
cut to pieces, he himself was mortally wounded, and 
Washington with difficulty saved the retreating troops 
by his masterly skill. 

112. The Expulsion of the Acadians. — The province 
called Acadia — the territory now included in the 
peninsula of Nova Scotia — had been under the rule of 




Il6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

France for a century, but in 17 13 it was transferred 
to the English. For many years there were end- 
less disputes about the territory, and in 1755 an expe- 
dition was directed against the French forces that held 
military posts there. The inhabitants were nearly 
all Catholics, who had prosperous farms and happy 
homes. The English, claiming that the Acadians were 
constantly plotting against them and in favor of France, 
resolved to expel them from the country. The cruel 
measure^ was successfully carried out, no less than 
six thousand men, women, and children being placed 
on vessels and dropped along the coast among colo- 
nists who, while they did not welcome them, treated 
them kindly. Many of the exiles reached Louisiana. 
The torch was applied to the homes of the unfortu- 
nate people, and the fair fields of Acadia were for years 
a waste. 

113. Battle of Lake George; Fall of Fort William 
Henry. — The bitter struggle had been in progress 
two years before the formal declaration of war between 
England and France. In September, 1755, Dieskau, 
the French commander, marched with fourteen hundred 
troops against Fort Edward, near the head of navigation 

1 All the men, young and old, were ordered to meet at the village 
church of Grand Pre on the afternoon of F'riday, Sept. 5, 1755, to hear 
the intentions of the king in regard to them. The unsuspecting natives 
gathered and heard the fearful judgment. All their possessions except 
money and household goods were forfeited, and they were prisoners 
of the king. Before they could realize their position the church was 
surrounded by troops. Longfellow has told the pitiful story of their 
sufferings in his poem Evangeline. 



WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH 117 

on the Hudson. The Enghsh, marching to meet him, 
fell into an ambush and suffered terrible losses. They 
fell back to their camp at lake George, where, defended 
by a barricade of trees and wagons, they successfully 
resisted the assault of the enemy. After a fight of 
five hours the French retreated. Dieskau was severely 
wounded and fell a prisoner into the hands of the 
English. 

In the following year Montcalm attacked the three 
forts at Oswego that commanded the entrance to lake 
Ontario. They fell easily into his hands and were 
demolished. The French were now masters of the 
Great Lakes. In August, 1757, Montcalm turned his 
attention to Fort William Henry at the head of lake 
George. With seventy-six hundred men, including 
two thousand Indians, he besieged this important point. 
For six days his batteries rained shot and shell on the 
fort till it surrendered. It was destroyed, and the 
French were now masters of lake George and lake 
Champlain.i 

114. William Pitt ; French Reverses. — Affairs became 
brighter for England when William Pitt, in 1757, became 
the ruling power there and threw all his energy toward 
carrying on the war. He planned three expeditions, 
the first against Louisburg, the second against Fort 
Duquesne, and the third against Ticonderoga and 
Crown Point. In July, 1758, Louisburg was attacked 

1 As the English troops were leaving the fort they were attacked by 
the Indians and sixty or seventy massacred despite Montcalm's attempts 
to restrain his savage allies. 



ii8 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



by fourteen thousand men and surrendered with fifty- 
six hundred prisoners of war.^ 

In November Fort Duquesne was captured and 
called Pittsburg in honor of the English statesman. 
On July 8 Montcalm, in his defenses at Ticonderoga, 
with only four thousand soldiers, was attacked by Aber- 
crombie, with sixteen thousand men, the largest army 
of white soldiers that had ever been gathered on the 

continent. The English 
were repulsed with fear- 
ful slaughter, losing 
almost two thousand 
men. 

But a succession of de- 
feats now weakened the 
French. Fort Fronte- 
nac on lake Ontario 
fell, and Niagara was 
captured by Sir William 
Johnson. 

115. The Plains of 
Abraham. — On July 26 
the French abandoned Crown Point, and a week later 
Ticonderoga. General Wolfe, who had distinguished 
himself before Louisburg, led an expedition against 
Quebec, the strongest fortress in America. Montcalm 
with a strong army defended the citadel, which was 




Montcalm 



1 In 1760 Great Britain ordered the total destruction of the fortifica- 
tions, and nothing remains of Louisburg except the ruins and the huts 
of a few fishermen. 



WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH 119 

built on a rocky bluff, carefully guarded on every side 
except one, where a steep ravine seemed to defy any 
approach. After four months' attempt to draw Mont- 
calm into a fight, Wolfe resorted to stratagem. One 
dark night, Sept. 12, 1759, he led his forces up the 
ravine to the Plains of Abraham behind the city.^ 
When day broke the French were amazed to see the 
glittering ranks of the English, five thousand strong, 
drawn u}) in battle array. A fierce battle ensued in 
which the French were defeated, and both Montcalm ^ 
and Wolfe were UKjrtally wounded. Quebec passed 
into the hands of the English, Sept. 17, 1759, and 
the power of France in America was doomed.^ 

" With the triumph of W^olfe on the Heights of Abra- 
ham began the history of the United States," says Greene. 

1 While in his boat on his way to the attack Wolfe repeated the 
verse from Gray's Elegy : 

The lx>ast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 
Await alike the inevitable hour, 
The paths of glory lead but to the grave. 

When he had finished he said, "I would rather have written those 
lines than take Quebec to-morrow." 

^ Montcalm died on the day after his defeat. He was buried in the 
chapel of the Ursuline convent. When told that his wound was 
mortal he said, " I am happy that I shall not live to see the surrender 
of Quebec." 

■^ On the monument to Wolfe and Montcalm in Quebec are these 
words : 

Valor gave a united death, History a united fame, Posterity a united monument. 
As a result of this victory, Parkman says : " England blazed with bon- 
fires. In one spot alone all was dark and silent ; for here a widowed 
mother mourned for a loving and devoted son, and the people forbore 
to profane her grief with the clamor oi their rejoicings." 



I20 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



116. The Treaty of Paris. — In the treaty of peace 
made in Paris in 1763 France gave to England the 
whole of Canada, except two small islands, with a share 
in the fisheries, all her possessions east of the Missis- 
sippi except New Orleans, and an adjacent strip of terri- 
tory. She gave all the territory west of the Mississippi 
with New Orleans to Spain ; Spain gave up Florida to 

England in exchange 




for Havana, which the 
English had captured 
during the war. 

117. Conspiracy of 
Pontiac. — The In- 
dians of the West had 
been for some time 
discontented. A con- 
spiracy was formed by 
an Ottawa chief, Pon- 
tiac, a man of great 
ability and daring, who 
had brought eighteen Indian nations under his rule. His 
plan was to attack all the English forts on the same 
day, May 7, 1763. Although the conspiracy failed, the 
Indians captured practically all the forts ^ in the West 
with the exception of Detroit, Niagara, and Fort Pitt. 

^ The forts captured by Pontiac were Fort Sandusky, Fort St. Joseph 
at the head of lake Michigan, MichiUmacinac, Ouatonon on the 
Wabash, Miami on the Maumee, Presque Isle on the site of the city of 
Erie, Venango, and Le Boeuf, while Fort Pitt was besieged. At MichiU- 
macinac the Indians played a ball game, driving the ball nearer and 
nearer the fort, whose gates were wide open while the soldiers looked 



North America at Close of French 
Wars, 1763 



WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH 121 

118. The Quebec Act. — In 1774 Parliament estab- 
lished a system of government for Canada. The entire 
territory had been earlier divided into four provinces, 
one of which was Quebec. The new act extended the 
Quebec province, which in consequence reached to the 
Ohio and Mississippi rivers and northward to Hudson 
bay. One of its purposes was to render justice and 
protection to the large number of Catholics now under 
the English flag, who would suffer greatly if sub- 
jected to the penal laws of England against the Cath- 
olics. This act aroused at once great opposition among 
the colonists along the Atlantic seaboard. The Cana- 
dians remembered this bitter antagonism, and when 
later the colonists sought their aid against England, 
they refused to betray the nation that had treated them 
so justly. 

RESULTS OF THE WARS OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH 

1. Through it France lost practically all her possessions in the 
New World. 

2. It taught the colonists to unite for a common purpose. 

3. It proved that the provincial troops were as fearless and 
capable as the British regulars. 

4. It trained a body of colonial officers in the art of war, which 
served them in good stead at the outbreak of the Revolution. 

5. It left only England to be conquered in the war for inde- 
pendence. 

6. It created an enormous debt, which caused the levying of 
new taxes, the direct cause of the Revolution. 

at the game. Suddenly the ball was driven inside the wall, and the 
Indians, rushing in as if to recover it, raised the war whoop and, draw- 
ing tomahawks from under their blankets, butchered the English witli 
horrible cruelties. 



CHAPTER VIII 
LIFE IN THE COLONIES IN 1763 

119. The Colonists and England. — The year 1763 
marks a turning point in American history. The power 
of France in the New World was broken forever; Eng- 
land was mistress of the vast territory stretching from 
the Atlantic ocean to the Mississippi river. The colo- 
nists now numbered about one million six hundred thou- 
sand, of whom four hundred thousand were negro slaves. 
They feared no longer the attacks from the French and 
Indians and, awake to their own strength, began to 
demand from England the rights which they asserted 
belonged to them as subjects of the British crown. 
These demands led to revolution. Before entering on 
this great struggle, let us glance at the condition of the 
colonies at the signing of the peace treaty with France 
in 1763. 

120. Civil Government. — There were three forms of 
government in the colonies, — charter, proprietary, and 
royal. 

I. Charter colonies : Connecticut, Rhode.Island, Mas- 
sachusetts. 

The charter was a contract between the king and the 
colony, which specified the exact rights and powers 
which each was to enjoy. It could not be changed 
without the consent of both parties. 



LIFE IN THE COLONIES 123 

2. Proprietary colonies : Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
Maryland, 

These colonies were governed by a proprietor, to 
whom the king had granted the land. This proprietor 
had power to dispose of the land to settlers and to 
establish a government for his territory. 

3. Royal colonies : New Hampshire, New York, New 
Jersey, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia. 

In these colonies the governor was appointed directly 
by the crown and was its personal representative. 
Royal colonies were therefore under the king's direct 
rule and were protected by no written charter. Each 
colony had a legislative body, elected by the people ; ^ 
the right to vote was allowed, however, only to those 
who had a fixed yearly income or owned land and were 
members of a Protestant church. 

So marked is the diversity of the physical features 
of the colonies as well as their interests, manners, cus- 
toms, and occupations that they may be divided into 
three groups, — the New England, the Middle, and 
the Southern. 

121. The New England Colonies. — These comprise 
Massachusetts,^ New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and 
Connecticut, with a population of about six hundred 
thousand. There were slaves, but the number was 

^ If the acts of the colonial legislatures were vetoed by the governors, 
they failed to become laws. It was necessary that all acts passed by 
colonial legislatures except those of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and 
Maryland should be signed by the king of England to become laws. 

'- Maine was at this time a part of Massachusetts, and New Hamp- 
shire claimed a large part of X'ermont. 



124 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

never large, as they were not profitable. Farming was 
the chief industry ; but the rugged nature of the land 
induced many colonists, especially in Massachusetts and 
Rhode Island, to become traders and mechanics. The 
forests were valuable in all kinds of timber, and ship- 
building was consequently one of the greatest industries. 
The New England colonies carried on a profitable ship- 
ping trade with the West Indies,^ where they obtained 
sugar, molasses, cotton, logwood, and slaves, and in 
return exported rum, salt fish, oysters, and flour. 

The cod and whale fisheries were a source of great 
wealth, as the waters abounded in fish, and fishing towns 
grew up here and there along the coast. .Despite the 
valuable water power throughout the colonies, only a 
small amount of manufacturing was carried on. Certain 
kinds of manufacturing were forbidden by England.^ 
On a small scale, however, were carried on tanning, 
milling, linen weaving, hat and paper manufacturing, 
and the distillation of rum from the molasses of the 
West Indies. The English government wanted to 
restrict this trade to the English West Indies ; but it 
was unable to do so, and smuggling was practiced to 
an enormous extent. 

The political unit in New England was the ''town," 
a subdivision of the colony, not too large to prevent the 

1 Sixteen hundred vessels were employed at one time in the foreign 
and coast trade of Boston. 

•^ It was the policy of England to prevent all manufacturing that the 
English manufacturers might have absolute control. The colonists 
were in some cases even forbidden to send goods from one colony to 
another. 



LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



125 




New England Colonist 



farmers living in it from attending the same church. 
The "town" was the reproduction of the English parish 
with some variations. In these towns 
the freemen voted in a " town meet- 
ing " on all questions of local govern- 
ment, elected executive officers, called 
selectmen, and the representatives of 
the town to the colonial legislature. 

The life of the people was guided 
by rather rigid rules. Absence from 
church on the Sabbath^ was visited 
with prompt punishment, and in 
general all social pleasures were 
frowned on. Certain grades of society 
were recognized with distinctions of 
dress for each grade.^ Seats in church were allotted 
according to wealth and education.-^ 

1 The Sabbath began at six o'clock in the evening on Saturday and 
lasted until sunset on Sunday. All work of every description was sus- 
pended, while amusements and sports, rare enough on week days, were 
absolutely prohibited. There was no travelling, no movement in the 
streets, nothing but religious exercises at home and in church. No 
traveller could be entertained, and if any one was absent from church 
for more than one Sunday, he was oV)liged to offer sufficient defence or 
be fined, set in the stocks or in a wooden cage, or whipped. There was 
no trading, no walking to the water's edge, or even in summer on the 
common. The streets were deserted except between services, for every 
one was either at his own home or at the church. — Lodge's A Short 
History of the E7ii^iish Colonies ift America. 

2 The order of precedence was as follows : gentlemen, yeomen, mer- 
chants, mechanics, indentured servants, and negro slaves. 

3 For more than a hundred years after its establishment the students 
in Harvard College were arranged according to their rank instead of 
alphabetically. 



126 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

The law was the common law of England amended by 
legislation to suit the new conditions. In making such 
amendments the Levitical law of the Old Testament was 
sometimes followed. In criminal cases branding on the 
cheek or forehead was resorted to, or a letter to indicate 
the crime was fastened on the dress or suit of the culprit. 
The houses were generally built of large logs or boards. 
They had large open fireplaces at which the cooking was 
done. Every house had a spinning wheel, and coarse 
linen and homespun were in general use, for the dress 
of the New England colonists was severely simple. 

Education was fostered by the New England colonists 
from the foundation of the colony. Grammar schools 
existed in some of the towns, and colleges were estab- 
lished. The Massachusetts colony gave four hundred 
pounds to found Harvard College in 1636. In 1701 
Yale College was founded. 

122. The Middle Colonies. — The population of the 
middle colonies amounted to about four hundred thou- 
sand and was composed of Dutch, Germans, Irish, 
English, French, and Swedes. 

The chief industries in the middle colonies were agri- 
culture and commerce. Wheat, which was raised in large 
quantities, was ground in the windmills that dotted the 
hillsides everywhere. New York maintained a thriving 
commerce with foreign ports, especially with England, 
Spain, and the West Indies, foreshadowing the great 
commerce of that port at this day. 

There were few cities. Philadelphia, the largest city 
in all the colonies, had only twenty thousand inhabitants. 



LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



127 



In their social life the Dutch in New York main- 
tained, through the patroon system, an aristocracy. On 
their vast estates these patroons followed the lavish enter- 
tainment and expenditures of the nobility of Europe. 

Pennsylvania and New Jersey were entirely free from 
aristocratic ideas, the Quakers spending their simple frugal 
life in tilling their farms and 
spreading plentyaround them. 

There was little provision 
in the middle colonies for 
elementary education. For 
the higher education were 
established Princeton in 
1746, King's College (the 
present Columbia University) 
in 1754, and the University 
of Pennsylvania, founded by 
Benjamin Franklin, in 1755. 

123. The Southern Colonies. 
agriculture was the universal occupation. In Virginia 
immense plantations stretched along the great rivers. 
Tobacco was raised everywhere in the colony and became 
the basis of all mercantile life. In South Carolina and 
Georgia rice and indigo were the leading productions. 
Slavery was the basis of the industrial life of these 
colonies and slave labor was used almost exclusively, 
although '' indentured servants were to be found through- 
out these colonies." ^ 




Dutch Windmill 



In the southern colonies 



1 Indentured servants were white servants who were bound to labor 
for a specified number of years to pay for their passage to America. 



128 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



The ever-increasing size of the plantations removed 
the planters farther and farther from one another, and 
in consequence there were few towns. The plantation 
was a village in itself. Vessels sailing up the rivers 
touched at its wharf ; it had its own blacksmiths, car- 
penters, and coopers ; its mills for grinding corn and its 
warehouses for tobacco. The planter's home, with its 




Southern Colonial Mansion 



scores of servants, was the abode of wealth and hospitality. 
Here and there were grouped the cabins of the slaves. 

In these colonies the estate passed to the eldest son 
on the death of the owner, as was the law in England, 



At the end of their term they were free to go where they wished. They 
generally became farmers. 

Another class of servants were criminals. By an act of Parliament a 
criminal condemned to death could have his sentence commuted if he 
bound himself for service for fourteen years in America. If he returned 
within that time, he would be executed. If convicted of lesser offenses, 
criminals were allowed to bind themselves for shorter periods. 



LIFE IN THE COLONIES 129 

thus preventing the division of estates and aiding to 
build up a landed aristocracy. 

There were in consequence so few towns that the 
Virginia legislature ordered towns to be built, but the law 
had little effect. In all the colonies the Church of Eng- 
land — that is, the established state Protestant church 
of Great Britain — was established by law, and fines and 
imprisonment were sometimes imposed for refusal to 
support this church. The English governors were indif- 
ferent to the establishment of schools or the spread 
of education in the South. Printing was forbidden by 
law in Virginia in the seventeenth century. Governor 
Berkeley said in 1670, "I thank God there are no free 
schools nor printing presses in Virginia and I hope 
we shall not have them these hundred years." Private 
teachers were employed by the planters to instruct their 
children. The only college in the South, William and 
Mary, was established in 1693. The sons of the planters 
were generally sent abroad to be educated. For the 
poorer classes there were no schools. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 

124. The Navigation Acts. — The expenses of the wars 
between the French and the Enghsh in America were 
so great that the debt of England had been doubled. 
British statesmen, therefore, decided to compel the colo- 
nists to pay part of the expenses of colonial adminis- 
tration. They offered as an excuse that the war had 
been waged to drive out the French from the valley of 
the Ohio for the benefit of the colonists, and therefore 
the colonists should bear part of the burden of defense. 
At the same time England looked on the colonies, now 
rapidly increasing in wealth, as a good field for the rais- 
ing of revenues for the British crown. In pursuance of 
a policy of protection to English commerce and industry 
the Navigation Acts had been enacted. According to 
these acts colonial trade could be carried on only in ships 
owned in England or in the colonies; certain exports — 
tobacco, sugar, furs, copper, and indigo — could be sent 
only to English ports ; no goods might be carried from 
a port in Europe to America until they had, been landed 
at some port in England : colonists were forbidden to 
manufacture the wool ^ raised in America, it being 

1 It was forbidden to export any machinery or patterns of machinery 
from England. It was hoped that this law would prevent the growth 
of manufactures in America. 

130 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 131 

exported to England, where it was woven into cloth 
and returned to the colony. It was forbidden to 
manufacture iron except in its crude forms in the 
colonies, and grain exported to England was heavily 
taxed to aid the British farmer. These laws were 
seldom enforced. In 1761 the British decided to 
strictly enforce them and thereby obtain greater reve- 
nue. The British customs officers therefore asked the 
Superior Court of Massachusetts for permission to use 
writs of assistance.^ 

The application for these writs aroused the most 
intense excitement. James Otis was the advocate general, 
and it was his duty as an officer of the crown to plead 
in favor of them. Rather than do so he resigned and 
for five years opposed the granting of them. ''Every 
one with this writ may be a tyrant," he thundered.^ In 
spite of the eloquence of Otis the writs were granted. 
The colonists knew no way of resisting them as they 
were perfectly legal ; but the spirit of revolution was now 
beginning to show itself, and it broke out in full vigor 

1 A writ of assistance was a general search warrant to enter any 
house and search for smuggled goods. Its great dangers lay in the 
fact that the officer could search any house at any time, entering by 
force, if necessary, without specifying previously what goods he was 
searching for. It was therefore a dangerous instrument in the hands of 
a tyrannical power. Another vital point at issue between the crown 
and the colonists was the appointment of judges. The crown main- 
tained that judges should hold office during the king's pleasure, thus 
making them merely creatures of the throne. The colonists bitterly 
opposed this measure. 

2 " Then and there," says John Adams, "was the first scene of the 
first act of opposition to the arbitrary claims of Great Britain. Then 
and there American Independence was born." 



132 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

when the ministry of England decided to lay a direct 
tax on the colonies. 

125. The Stamp Act, 1765. — This direct tax was called 
the ''Stamp Act." It provided that a stamp should be 
placed on every sheet of legal paper, on every license, 
on every written contract, on advertisements, and on the 
paper used for newspapers.^ One of the provisions of 
the law was that all offenses against the Stamp Act 
could be tried in any part of the colonies, instead of at 
the scene of the offense, and in the vice admiralty court 
without a jury. This was a direct blow at the right of 
trial by jury.^ 

This tax was passed in the British Parliament without 
any noteworthy opposition ; but when the intense feeling 
of the colonies was known, their part was taken by 
several prominent statesmen, including Pitt, Barre, and 
Edmund Burke.^ 

The passage of the stamp tax aroused the utmost 
indignation. It was something undreamed of in 
American history. As each colony elected its own 
assembly or legislature, this assembly was the only 
power that could levy taxes on the people. Virginia 
was the first colony to raise its voice in protest. A 

1 It was estimated that the stamp tax would prorvide about five 
hundred thousand dollars a year in revenue. 

2 The court was to consist of a single judge without a jury, and, as if 
to render justice out of the question, the salary of the judge should be 
paid by those whom he condemned. 

3 In his speech Pitt said: "The gentleman tells us that America is 
obstinate, America is almost in open rebellion. I rejoice that America 
has resisted." 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 133 

young lawyer, Patrick Henry,^ presented the following 
resolutions : 

Resolved, That the taxation of the people by themselves or by 
persons chosen by themselves to represent them who can only 
know what taxes the people are able to bear ... is the distin- 
guishing characteristic of British Freedom. 

Resolved, therefore, That the general assembly of this colony 
has the only and sole exclusive right and power to levy taxes upon 
the inhabitants of this colony. 

126. The Stamp Act Congress, 1765. — The delegates 
from nine of the colonies met in New York and wrote a 
declaration of rights and grievances which were sent to 
the king and to both of the houses of Parliament in 
England. The declaration said, among other things, 
that only the representative colonial assemblies could 
impose taxation and that the right of trial by jury could 
not be lawfully denied. The struggle had now begun, 
and the war cry was, "Taxation without representation 
is tyranny." On the ist of November, the day on which 
the act was to go into effect, the colonists showed their 
violent opposition by mobbing and burning in effigy the 
officers and destroying the stamp offices. 

Bells were tolled, flags were hung at half-mast, and no 
one was found in the colonies that dared to sell a piece 
of stamped paper. The colonists agreed not to buy, 
sell, or use the articles that had been stamped and to 

^ In Wirt's Life of Patrick Henry we read : " It was in the midst of 
this magnificent debate that he exclaimed in a voice of thunder, 
' Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I his Cromwell, and George the 
Third (Treason ! cried the speaker. Treason ! Treason ! echoed from 
every part of the house) — may profit by their example. If this be 
treason, make the most of it.' " 



134 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

cease using English goods. To the merchants of London 
the loss of their colonial trade meant dire disaster, and 
they joined with the colonists for the repeal of the law. 
So great was their influence that the law was repealed 
March i8, 1766, "an event," says Burke, ''that caused 
more universal joy throughout the British Dominion 
than perhaps any other that can be remembered." 

127. The Townshend Acts, 1767. — Although the 
stamp tax was repealed, Parliament did not give up for a 
moment the right to lay taxes where and when it pleased. 
The next year, 1767, accordingly, Parliament passed the 
so-called '' Townshend Acts," three in number : the first 
prohibited the New York legislature^ from passing any 
more laws until it had made provision for the royal troops 
in the city ; the second enforced more strictly the laws 
relating to trade ; the third placed taxes on glass, paper, 
tea, lead, and painters' colors.^ This was taxation with- 
out representation again, and once more the colonists 
rebelled. Merchants refused to import English goods. 
British dealers found their orders canceled and their 
vessels returning with the goods sent to America. 

1 Under the Mutiny Act, New York was obliged to provide the royal 
troops with beds, fire, candles, salt, and vinegar. The colony proposed 
to furnish these supplies as it saw fit, regardless of the royal instructions. 
The suspending of the legislature was a direct blow at all legislative 
independence in any of the colonies. 

2 From the money thus raised, governors, judges, and crown attor- 
neys were to be paid, thus rendering them independent of the colonial 
legislatures ; an army was to be supported and pensions were to be paid 
if any money was left. The people wisely saw in this an attempt on the 
part of the British king to compel the colonists to pay the salaries of 
men hostile to them and working solely for the benefit of the king. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 135 

Massachusetts sent a letter to the other colonies inviting^ 
them to a conference. Governor Bernard ordered the 
legislature of Massachusetts to recall the letter. Upon 
its refusal to do so the legislature was dissolved. The 
other colonial legislatures were ordered by their gov- 
ernors to ignore the letter, and, upon their refusal to 
do so, they were also dissolved. 

128. The Boston Massacre. — In October, 1 768, two 
regiments of English troops arrived in Boston and were 
encamped for a time on the common. They planted two 
cannon, facing the townhouse. The people resented 
the presence of the troops, and disturbances constantly 
arose. On the evening of March 5, 1770, a crowd had 
gathered around the barracks, and the soldiers were 
pelted with snowballs. A quarrel arose, a large throng 
gathered, and the soldiers fired on the people. They 
killed four and wounded seven ^ of the citizens, two of 
whom died from their wounds.^ The following day there 
was an immense gathering of the people in the Old 
South Meeting House,^ and Samuel Adams demanded 
the removal of the troops. That evening they were 
transferred to an island in the harbor. The Boston 

1 Among those killed was Crispus Attucks, a mulatto. A monument 
to him and his companions who fell stands on Boston common. 

2 The soldiers were tried for murder and were defended by John 
Adams and Josiah Quincy. All were acquitted except two, who received 
slight punishment. 

3 They had first gathered in Faneuil Hall. This famous building 
was built in 1740 by Peter Faneuil, a merchant, as a market house for 
the town. It contains a spacious hall and has always been called " The 
Cradle of Liberty " because of the numerous meetings held there to 
protest against British tyranny. 



136 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Massacre, as it was called, aroused the whole country. 
The Revolution was rapidly approaching. 

129. The North Carolina Regulators ; Burning of the 
Gaspee. — In no section did the tyranny and dishonesty 
of British officials fall more heavily than in the upper 
counties of South Carolina. Here the Irish farmers, 
who comprised the greater part of the population and 
were called *' regulators," at length, in 1 771, rose in revolt 
against Tryon, the governor. At Alamance, near the 
sources of the Cape Fear river, they fought a bloody 
battle with the British regulars. The colonists were 
defeated, two hundred of them falling upon the field. 
This battle, the first of the Revolution, preceded Lex- 
ington by four years. 

An event occurred the following year which showed 
still further the daring spirit of the colonists. To 
enforce the revenue laws, an eight-gun schooner, the 
Gaspee, was stationed in Narragansett bay. The com- 
mander overhauled vessels, stole provisions, and acted 
in so tyrannical a manner that the colonists resolved to 
take a decisive step. In June, 1772, the Gaspee while 
chasing an American ship ran aground. On the follow- 
ing night she was surrounded by a party of disguised 
men in eight boats and burned to the water's edge.^ 

130. Repeal of the Townshend Acts ; Boston Tea Party. 
— On the day of the Boston Massacre a bill was intro- 
duced into the British Parliament to repeal the Townshend 
Acts, except the tax on tea. This was retained that the 

^ The British government offered three thousand dollars for the arrest 
of the guilty persons, but they were never discovered. 



Tadousac 




Albany / s ~ -~T^ Z_i«X->^ ^ V 



"y^a 7?. 






, Cape Ann 
'Glouocste 






SpringDeld^ \ ■?>° .k\Q\^'^^\^.% 



/U art ford 









■^''^ THE REYOLUTIO]!^ 

THE NEW ENGLAND STATES 

(CALE OF MILES 



m= 



10 20 40 60 60 100 




JJEW YOKK CITY 

AND VICINITY. 
SCA LE OF MILES 
--0, 1 2 3 4 j 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 137 

right of Parliament to impose taxes could be maintained. 
Although it was a small tax,i the principle involved was 
the point at issue. If Parliament could legally tax tea, 
it could also levy any taxes it saw fit.^ 

The colonists therefore refused to buy or use the 
tea, even though under the new law it was cheaper in 
America than in England. Ships full of tea were sent 
to Charleston, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and 
other ports. The people of Philadelphia and New York 
would not allow the vessels to land and sent them back. 
In Baltimore and Rhode Island the tea was burned. 
In Boston the British officers would not allow the vessels 
to be sent back. On the night of Dec. 16, 1773, a 
party of men, disguised as Indians, boarded the ships, 
ripped open three hundred and forty-two chests, and 
spilled the tea into the harbor. This was a direct 
affront to the king, and Parliament at once resolved to 
punish Massachusetts. 

131. The New Laws of Parliament.^ — The first law, 
called the " Boston Port Bill," ordered the port of Boston 
to be closed until the people had paid for the destroyed 
tea. The customhouse was removed to Marblehead,^ 
and the seat of government to Salem. 

1 This tax was so small that the royal treasury would not have 
received more than fifteen hundred dollars a year. 

2 " It is doing nothing to repeal a few scraps of paper or pieces of 
parchment called ' Acts of Parliament,' " said William Pitt, " but our 
business is to repeal the ill-will and the animosity unfortunately now 
subsisting between (ireat Britain and North America." 

3 These laws were called by the colonists " The Five Intolerable Acts." 
* Instead of seeking profit by the aflliction of Boston, Salem and 

Marblehead generously offered their wharves to Boston merchants. 



138 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

The second law provided that any magistrate, soldier, 
or officer of the crown arrested for murder should be 
tried in England. 

The third law changed the charter of Massachusetts, 
provided for a military governor, ^ and forbade public 
meetings without permission of the governor, except 
for the purpose of electing officers. 

The fourth law made it legal to quarter the troops on 
the people.^ 

The fifth law established the province of Quebec and 
granted freedom of worship to the Catholics in that 
province.^ 

132. The First Continental Congress. — The other colo- 
nies came to the assistance of Massachusetts. Led by 
Patrick Henry,'* Virginia passed a resolution ordering 
the day on which the Boston Port Bill was to go into 
force to be a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer.^ 
When the governor heard of this resolution he dissolved 

1 Thomas Gage, who had commanded the British regulars in America 
for some years, was appointed miUtary governor, but he was not recog- 
nized in any way by the people. 

2 That is, the colonies where soldiers were stationed were required 
to furnish them, not only with shelter, but also with firewood, drink, 
bedding, soap, and candles. 

3 As this act extended the province of Quebec southward to the Ohio, 
the colonies of Virginia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts claimed it 
violated their charters, which gave them the territory from sea to sea. 

* In his famous speech, Patrick Henry exclaimed : " There is no 
longer any room for hope. We must fight. I repeat it, sir; we must 
fight." 

5 The other colonies also observed this date as a day of fasting. The 
bells in Philadelphia were muffled and tolled, and similar evidence of 
intense feeling was shown in other places. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



139 



=^y| — 



the legislature. Thereupon a committee was appointed 
to send letters to the other colonies urging the necessity 
of another congress. The colonies approved without an 
exception, and Sept. i, 1774, fifty-five delegates, repre- 
senting every colony except Georgia, met in Carpenters' 
Hall, Philadelphia. 
This w^as the First 
Continental Con- 
gress. This Con- 
gress declared that 
it was unlawful for 
Great Britain to tax 
the people without 
their consent, to try (' 
persons without a 
jury, to dissolve the 
legislative assem- 
blies, and to quarter 
troops on the people 
in time of peace. 
An address was 

issued to the people of Great Britain and to the English 
king. The delegates agreed not to trade with England 
until the objectionable laws were repealed. It was voted 
to meet again on May 10, 1775, and take action on the 
answer of the king to their petitions. 

133. Capture of Fort William and Mary, 1775. — One 
of the delegates to the First Continental Congress was 
John Sullivan of New Hampshire. Learning from Paul 
Revere (Dec. 13, 1775) that a force was coming to seize 




Patrick Henry's Famous Speech 



140 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the gunpowder and supplies in Fort William and Mary 
at Newcastle, New Hampshire, he assembled a company 
and surprised the fort, hauled down the flag, and carried 
off the supplies, consisting of one hundred barrels of 
powder and other stores, to Durham, where they were 
hidden in the church. These supplies were later sent 
to Bunker Hill just in time for use by the patriots in 
that battle. ''For the first time in American history, 
the British flag was torn down in armed rebellion." 

134. The Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 
1775. — General Gage, seeing the warlike feeling of 
the people, began to erect fortifications around Boston. 
The colonists collected ammunition and trained sol- 
diers. Twenty thousand "minute men," citizens ready 
for duty at a minute's notice, were enrolled. General 
Gage heard of these preparations and learned that a 
large quantity of military supplies had been gathered at 
Concord. He planned to surprise and capture these 
stores and to this end sent a force of eight hundred 
regulars to carry out his plans. They were ordered to 
go by way of Lexington and arrest Samuel Adams and 
John Hancock, w^ho were visiting there. The scheme 
was discovered and, by the aid of lanterns hung in the 
belfry of the Old North Church, Paul Revere learned of 
the route of the troops. He rode furiously forward, 
warning the inhabitants and also Adams and Hancock, 
who fled. When the British troops reached Lexington 
in the early morning (April 19, 1775) they saw the 
minute men drawn up on the common to oppose them. 
"Disperse, you rebels!" shouted Pitcairn, the British 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



141 



commander, and on their refusal to do so, he ordered 
his soldiers to fire. Eight of the minute men fell dead 
and ten were wounded. From Lexington the British 
marched to Concord, where they again met the minute 
men, who "fired the shot heard round the world." ^ 
The English were repulsed. After destroying what few 
military stores they could find, they began the retreat 
to Boston. But the jour- 
ney was a difficult one. 
On every side the minute 
men flocked in. From 
behind walls, trees, and 
fences they poured a 
deadly fire on the retreat- 
ing British. Man after 
man fell from the ranks 
and, had not a fresh body '^ '' '"^ 

of twelve hundred men met them at Lexington,' the entire 
command would probably have been destroyed. Even 
against these new troops the minute men kept up their 
fatal fire till the British reached Charlestown, two hun- 
dred and seventy-three of their number having been lost. 
135. Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga, May 10, 1775. — On 
the shores of Lake Champlain, guarding the route to 
Canada, were two forts, Ticonderoga and Crown Point. 
They were well supplied with all kinds of military stores 

1 Emerson has immortalized this battle by his famous lines : 

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, 

Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, 
Here once the embattled farmers stood 

And fired the shot heard round the world. 




SCALE OF MILES 



142 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

but were feebly garrisoned. Ethan Allen with a band 
of vigorous youths called the "Green Mountain Boys" 
resolved to surprise and capture the forts. On the night 
of May 9 he crossed lake Champlain in the darkness 
with eighty-three followers, among them being Benedict 
Arnold. At daybreak he appeared before the fort, rushed 
into the quarters of the commandant, and demanded the 
surrender of the fort. " In whose name ? " asked the 
bewildered commandant. "In the name of the Great 
Jehovah and the Continental Congress ! " shouted Allen. 
The fort surrendered, and two days later Crown Point 
with its immense military supplies fell. The patriots 
now controlled lakes Champlain and George and the 
route between New York and Canada. 

136. Second Continental Congress ; George Washington, 
Commander in Chief. — The Second Continental Con- 
gress met at Philadelphia, May lo, 1775, the day of 
the surrender of Ticonderoga. For the next six years 
it was the central governing body of the nation.^ The 
most important act performed by this Congress was the 
appointment, by unanimous vote, of George Washington 
as commander in chief of the continental army. 

137. Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. — In the 
meantime stirring events were taking place in Boston. 
General Gage, the British commander, had been joined 
by Generals Howe, Clinton, and Burgoyne, and he now 

1 While the First Continental Congress was merely an advisory body, 
the Second gradually assumed the powers of sovereignty. It assumed 
the defense of the colonies, raised armies, directed foreign affairs, and 
issued money for the troops. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



143 



had ten thousand men. Gage therefore decided to seize 
Bunker Hill, which overlooked the harbor and his camps. 
The Americans also recognized the value of the position 
and on the night of June 16 quietly seized the hill and 
threw up intrenchments. When 
the surprised British sawthe 
heights occupied by colonial 
troops they at once prepared to 
assault them. The British column 
moved up the hill. As the Ameri- 
cans had very little powder they 
were ordered not to fire till they 
saw the whites of the eyes of the 
enemy. They waited, and at the 
signal, in a blaze of musketry, 
the British line was swept away. 

A second line came up and 
under the deadly aim of the colo- 
nists was cut to pieces. A third 
time the British charged, and as 

the Americans had no powder left they were compelled 
to withdraw. The British loss was more than one 
thousand, the American less than half that number. 
While the Americans were compelled to retreat, the 
battle was of the greatest benefit to them, for it showed 
the world that the colonists could and would fight to the 
end for their liberties. 

138. Expedition against Quebec ; Death of Montgom- 
ery ; Embassy to Canada. — Washington soon arrived 
in Cambridge and took command of the army, which 




Bunker Hill Monument 



144 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

numbered about sixteen thousand men. It was decided 
to send an expedition against Quebec, and the command 
was given to Richard Montgomery.^ Hz was ordered 
to sail from Ticonderoga and, after capturing Montreal, 
to move eastward against Quebec. Another force, under 
Benedict Arnold, was sent through Maine to join Mont- 
gomery. Arnold's soldiers suffered fearful hardships in 
the Maine woods, but he and his brave men pushed 
onward. At last they reached Quebec, where Mont- 
gomery, who had taken Montreal, met them. On 
Dec. 31, 1775, they attacked the strongest fortification 
in America and would, probably, have captured the city 
had not the brave Montgomery fallen mortally wounded. 
The expedition failed, and the soldiers returned in the 
following spring to Crown Point. 

Congress now determined to win, if possible, the 
Canadians from the British allegiance and to that end 
resolved (Feb. 15, 1776) to send to Canada an embassy 
composed of Benjamin Frankhn, Samuel Chase, Charles 
Carroll of Carrollton, and Father John Carroll, later the 

1 Richard Montgomery was born in Ireland, Dec. 2, 1736. In May, 
1774, he was sent as a delegate to the first Provincial Congress in New 
York City and in June of that same year was appointed a brigadier 
general in the continental army. In honor of his "patriotic conduct, 
enterprise, and perseverance," Congress erected a marble monument 
to him in St. Paul's Church in New York City. A tablet in the rocks 
at Quebec marks the spot where he fell. In 18 18 his body was brought 
to New York. A special boat with emblems of mourning conveyed the 
body down the Hudson. " Slowly it passed his beloved country seat, 
the strains of a sad dirge rising softly to the porch where sat his widow 
quite alone, gazing down upon the coffin of her hero. When her friends 
came to get her, they found her lying prostrate in a swoon." 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 145 

first Catholic Bishop in America. The mission was not 
successful, for the bitter attacks made upon the Quebec 
Act and llie intolerant laws of the colonies led the Cana- 
dians to expect fairer treatment from England than from 
the American colonists. 

139. The Evacuation of Boston; Victory at Fort 
Moultrie. — Washington while drilling his raw troops 
was tightening the chain of soldiery around Boston. 
Seeing the advantage of holding Dorchester Heights, 
which overlooked the city, he suddenly seized the hill 
(March 4, 1776) and during the darkness of night 
threw up earthworks. The British in the morning saw 
the Americans above them, with their cannon firmly 
planted to sweep their camp as well as their ships. 
Fearing to attack the intrenched colonists, they sailed 
away March 17 with all their troops to Halifax. They 
took with them nine hundred Tories,^ a name given to 
those who preferred to remain subject to the king of 
England. "It was," says Edmund Burke, "more like 
the departure of a people than the retreat of an 
army." Three months later the English fleet appeared 
off Charleston harbor, where Colonel Moultrie with his 
brave troops had built a fortress of palmetto logs on 
Sullivans island. The British attacked with land 
forces, while their ships opened a heavy fire on the 
fort. The British troops were cut to pieces, while 
their vessels were so badly damaged that only one of 

1 The British left a large quantity of ammunition and heavy guns. 
A few days later an English ship loaded with military stores entered 
the harbor and was quickly seized. 



146 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the whole fleet escaped unharmed. While the battle 
was raging the flag shaft was broken and fell outside 
the breastworks. Sergeant Jasper leaped over the walls 
and, amid the flying bullets, planted it again upon the 
ramparts. The fort was now named Fort Moultrie in 
honor of its brave commander. 

140. Declaration of Independence. — In the meantime 
Congress saw that an absolute separation from Great 

Britain was inevitable,^ 

1 and steps were now 

- jm_ taken to that end. 

^W American ports were 

^ , 5*gM^?H-:^"£"' -'Mgiz^'ir'Z^'k' 1^ opened for free trade 

'0i% i^: f/' Hfin^r^r^iTirS. with all nations except 

„^^;^ :^ r: -L:^-r:j;-^:_ _.;.._ --.^?---rr|g Great hritam. 

y»ii-||pr^-:ie-J:^^^^^ On May 15, 1776, 

I— :l^-. .■■,.^_.i-l„._^.,--^.,_;_:^--, .^ ,__7A£l. Congress decided to 
The Old Statehouse, Philadel- 'A/A suppress every kind of 

phia, in which the Declaration -^^ ^ authority under the 

of Independence was adopted and the 

Constitution of the United States framed crown, and the colonies 

were asked to make 
for themselves new state governments. On June 7 
Richard Henry Lee offered in Congress this resolution : 
" Resolved that these United States are, and of right 
ought to be, free and independent states.". The motion 

1 A pamphlet by Thomas Paine, called Coniniott Seftse, was issued 
(January, 1776) with the approval of Franklin and Samuel Adams. This 
pamphlet, which boldly declared that the time had come for a separation 
from Great Britain, had a great influence on the minds of the colonists. 
Over a hundred thousand copies were sold, and it paved the way for the 
decisive action of the Declaration of Independence. 




THOMAS JEFFERSON 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



147 




was seconded by John Adams, and a committee of five, 
with Thomas Jefferson as chairman, was appointed to 
draw up the declaration.^ 
Action was postponed for 
three weeks, to learn the 
opinion of the colonies. At 
first Pennsylvania, Mary- 
land, and South Carolina 
did not favor it, and New 
York was doubtful. On 
July 2, however, it was 
carried unanimously, 
twelve states voting in its 
favor. On July 4 the Dec- 
laration of Independence, 
written by Jefferson, was 
adopted by Congress.^ The 

colonies, now the United States of America, were 
declared to be absolved from all allegiance to the 
British crown. ^ The joy of the people at the news of 

1 The five members were Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, 
John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson 
wrote the entire Declaration, and it was adopted virtually as he pre- 
sented it except a clause denouncing the slave trade. The Declara- 
tion was adopted July 4, 1776, but it was not signed until almost a 
month later, August 2. 

2 Within two weeks a committee submitted to Congress the " Arti- 
cles of Confederation and Perpetual Union between the States." They 
were adopted by Congress and later were ratified by practically all the 
states. Congress exercised its authority under these articles. 

^ One of the signers was Charles Carroll from Maryland. When it 
was said there were many Carrolls in that state he added the words "of 
Carrollton," in order that he might bear the full responsibility of his 



Charles Carroll of Carrollton 



148 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the adoption of the Declaration of Independence was 
unbounded. It was read to Washington's army and 
in all the cities and towns throughout the colonies. 
Bells were rung and bonfires lighted ; in Philadelphia 
the royal arms in the room where Congress was sitting 
were cast out and the great bell rang forth joyfully; 
in New York the leaden statue of George III was 
pulled down and melted into bullets. 

141. Plan of the British ; Battle of Long Island. — 
At the departure of the British from Boston Washing- 
ton believed they intended to strike New York, capture 
the Hudson, and thus cut off New England from the 
other colonies. Washington was right in his judgment, 
for early in July, 1776, a few days after the Declara- 
tion of Independence was proclaimed. General Howe 
arrived with twenty-five thousand men and encamped 
on Stat en island. His brother, Lord Howe, who had 
been made admiral by the British government, arrived 
on July 12. General Putnam, with five thousand Ameri- 
cans, was intrenched on Brooklyn Heights, a point 
which overlooked and commanded New York City. 
General Sullivan guarded, with four thousand men, 
the approaches to the Heights. Lord Howe attacked 
the American forces, and the battle of Long island was 

act. Some historians, however, claim that that was the usual way of 
signing his name. Charles Carroll was born in Annapolis, Sept. 20, 
1737, and was educated abroad. On his return to this country he took 
up the fight against the taxation of the people for the Church of Eng- 
land. In 1776 he represented Maryland in the Continental Congress. 
He Avas the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. 
He died in Baltimore, Nov. 14, 1832. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



149 



fiercely fought (Aug. 27, 1776). The Americans, out- 
numbered by the British, were defeated with heavy loss, 
General Sullivan being taken prisoner. The British, 
aided by their war vessels, now endeavored to hem in 
the Americans by land and sea. The position of the 
patriots was indeed 
perilous, when fortu- 
nately a heavy fog fell 
over Long island and 
the waters of the har- 
bor. Washington took 
advantage of it and 
with the utmost secrecy 
removed his troops to 
the mainland of New 
York City.i 

142. The British 
occupy New York; 
Washington retreats 
northward ; Fort Wash- 
ington taken. — In a 
few days the British crossed the river and occupied 
the city of New York.^ Washington had taken a 

1 At the first embarkation of the American troops the wife of a Tory 
sent her negro servant to inform the British. He met a German sentinel 
who could not understand him and locked him up as a suspicious char- 
acter. In the morning a British officer examined him and, hearing his 
story, rushed off to examine the American outposts. The army had 
disappeared, and the last boats were then halfway across to New York. 

2 To learn the plans of the British Nathan Hale went into their 
lines. He was recognized and hanged as a spy. His last words were, 
" I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." 




I50 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

position at Harlem Heights, where Howe attacked him 
(Sept. i6, 1776), but was repulsed. Hoping to attack 
Washington in a less advantageous position, Howe 
moved into Westchester and again attacked the patriots 
at White Plains, gaining a slight victory. Washington 
thereupon fell back to the intrenched camp at North- 
castle and later entered New Jersey,^ 

Howe now turned his attention to Fort Washington, 
which commanded the Hudson river. Washington had 
advised the abandonment of the fort to save its military 
stores and the three thousand troops in its garrison. 
General Greene, however, who was in command, believed 
he could hold it successfully. On November 16 the 
British attacked and took it after a heroic resistance ^ 
on the part of the patriots. 

143. Retreat across New Jersey. — At the capture of 
Fort Washington General Washington was at Hacken- 
sack on the west side of the Hudson with seven thou- 
sand men. General Charles Lee, with an equal number 
of men, was on the east side of the Hudson at North- 
castle. Washington ordered Lee to cross the river, 
join forces with him, and face the enemy with the full 

1 During the summer of 1776 a British fleet under Carleton moved 
down from Canada to invade New York. With a hastily constructed 
squadron in lake Champlain, Benedict Arnold opposed, him vigorously. 
Though he lost most of his ships, Arnold succeeded in landing his men 
at Ticonderoga. When Carleton appeared before that fort he doubted 
his ability to take it, so he returned to Canada. 

2 The British loss was about five hundred. Three thousand patriots 
fell prisoners in the handa of the British, together with large military 
stores. Many of the American prisoners were murdered by their 
captors. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



151 



Strength of the army. Lee, hoping by a brilUant stroke 
to be raised to the supreme command, disobeyed and 
marched his troops slowly to 
Morristown.^ 

Washington was, therefore, 
compelled to retreat through 
New Jersey and to cross the 
Delaware. Cornwallis, in full 
pursuit, reached this river as the 
Americans landed on the opposite 
side. Not a boat could be found 
to transport the British troops, 
Washington having captured 
every boat for seventy miles up 
and down the river. With keen 
disappointment Cornwallis was 
compelled to encamp until he 
could cross the river on the ice. 
General Sullivan assumed com- 
mand of the troops at Morristown ''■^^!!!'^^k?^s^!^ 

1 Lee took up his quarters at a tavern 
three miles from his lines at Baskingridge. 
A Tory rode eighteen miles to Brunswick 
and gave this information to the British. 
The next morning a force of British dra- 
goons suddenly appeared and Lee was a 
prisoner. The British, believing Lee to 
be the most scientific of the American 

generals, boasted of having taken the American palladium. His capture 
was a distinct advantage to the Americans as General Sullivan took 
his command. 

2 This statue of the brave American hero stands in City Hall Park 
in New York City. 





>^ IK in on 



Nathan Hale 2 



152 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

on the capture of Lee, and immediately pushed on to 
join Washington. 

144. Battle of Trenton. — Washington now deter- 
mined to strike a decisive blow. Three regiments of 
Hessians under Colonel Rahl were stationed at Trenton. 
On Christmas night, while the Hessians^ were cele- 
brating the holiday, Washington crossed the Delaware 
through the floating ice. It was bitterly cold, and a 
blinding snowstorm was raging. After innumerable 
difficulties he reached the east bank, marched nine 
miles to Trenton, where he fell upon the Hessians and 
completely routed them. One thousand men and 
thirty-two officers were taken prisoners. Colonel Rahl 
was mortally wounded. The Americans lost only four 
men. With his prisoners and military stores Washing- 
ton now recrossed the Delaware. 

145. Robert Morris* Great Aid; Distress of the 
Troops. — The brilliant victory at Trenton aroused new 
courage in the hearts of all the patriots. The American 
troops now saw the people everywhere pulling down the 
red rags which had been fastened to their doors to 
secure British good will and protection. Hessians were 

1 The king of England, not being able to secure troops in his own 
country to wage war in America, sought to purchase them in Europe. 
He asked Russia to sell him twenty thousand men, but Russia, then, as 
ever since, friendly to America, declined. At length the prince of 
Hesse-Cassel and other insignificant German rulers sold him twenty 
thousand troops. Since that time the word " Hessian " has been a term 
of contempt. The people of Germany were indignant at the sale of the 
troops. Frederick the Great ordered, it is said, his customhouse officers 
to charge toll on each Hessian crossing his territory as they did on 
cattle going to market. 



* 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 153 

marched through the streets of Philadelphia to convince 
the people of the victory, and a Hessian flag was sent 
to Congress at Baltimore. The rejoicings of the people 
were unbounded. Congress bestowed on Washington 
(December 27) almost unlimited military power for a 
period of six months, that he might raise and maintain a 
larger army. This was indeed necessary, for new dangers 
now beset the patriot army. The enlistments of many of 
the regiments were expiring, and they desired to return 
home. They had been without suitable clothing for 
months, while the paper money was constantly falling 
in value, till it became practically worthless. Washing- 
ton saw it was necessary to have *'hard" money. He 
wrote to his friend Robert Morris in Philadelphia to help 
him. ** If you could possibly collect a sum, if it were but 
one hundred and fifty pounds, it would be of service." 
On New Year's morning Morris went from door to 
door in Philadelphia, waking up his friqnds and asking 
for money. By noon he had raised fifty thousand dol- 
lars, which he sent to Washington. The soldiers reen- 
listed, and the name of Robert Morris deserves a place 
among the saviors of his country. 

146. Battle of Princeton. — Cornwallis, hearing of 
the disaster at Trenton, now rushed on with eight 
thousand men to attack Washington, who had again 
crossed the Delaware. The Americans had taken a 
position near Trenton on the south bank of a small 
stream — the Assunpink — that flowed into the Delaware. 
Cornwallis arrived late in the day and postponed his 
attack until the next morning. With the Delaware full 



154 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

of floating ice, Washington's retreat was cut off and his 
position was extremely dangerous. CornwalUs viewing 
the situation exclaimed with joy, " At last we have run 
down the old fox and we will bag him in the morning." 
But Washington did not intend to be caught. While 
his men were apparently throwing up intrenchments, 
and the camp fires were burning brightly, Washington 
slipped up the little creek, passed behind Cornwallis, and 
fell on his rear guard at Princeton. ^ The roar of cannon 
in his rear awoke Cornwallis to his danger. The British 
were defeated. Washington took a strong position at 
Morristown Heights, and as this threatened his line of 
supplies Cornwallis ordered a general retreat of the 
British to New York. 

Philadelphia was safe, and Washington spent the 
winter undisturbed at Morristown. The brilliant mili- 
tary skill shown by Washington excited the greatest 
admiration in Europe. Many nations, especially the 
French, now desired to give secret or open aid to the 
struggling patriots. A young nobleman of France, 
Marquis de Lafayette, seeking in vain to get help 
from his country, secretly fitted out at his own expense 
a ship and came to America to join the forces of Wash- 
ington without pay.^ His historic words were, " When 

1 Even the English admired Washington's genius. Horace Walpole 
said : " His march through our lines is allowed to have been a prodigy 
of generalship. In one word, I look upon a great part of America as 
lost to this country." It is said that Frederick the Great pronounced 
these campaigns as among the most brilliant in military history. 

2 On his arrival Lafayette offered his services to Congress. Being 
impatient at the delay in accepting his offer, he called at the door of 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 155 

first I heard of American independence my heart was 
enUsted!" 

At this time a number of German and PoHsh officers 
arrived to aid the patriot cause ; among them were 
De Kalb/ Baron Steuben,^ Pulaski,^ and Kosciuszko.'^ 
Baron Steuben had been trained under Frederick the 
Great and rendered very valuable service in drilling 
the American troops. 

147. The British Plans of Campaign ; Battle of Brandy- 
wine ; Howe takes Philadelphia ; Battle of Germantown. 
— The British plan of campaign for 1777 was as follows : 

1 . General Howe was to seize the city of Philadelphia, 
the capital of the '^ rebel government," and thereafter 
move northward to join General Burgoyne. 

2. General Burgoyne with nine thousand men was 
to come down from Canada, opening the route to the 

Congress. On learning that nothing had been done with his application 
he sent in the following note : " After my sacrifices I have the right to 
ask two favors : one is to serve at my own expense ; the other, to begin 
by serving as a volunteer." This manly note had the desired effect. 
Congress at once appointed him major general. 

1 John De Kalb was born in Germany and later served in the French 
army. Coming to America in 1777, he was appointed a major general 
by Congress and was killed, fighting bravely, in the battle of Camden. 

2 Baron Steuben was born in Prussia. At the close of the Revo- 
lutionary War he received a large grant of land in New York from 
Congress and remained in America until his death (1794). 

3 Casimir Pulaski was born in Poland. He served on Washington's 
staff and fought bravely at Brandywine and Germantown. While in 
command of the celebrated Pulaski's legion he fell, gallantly fighting, 
before Savannah in 1779. 

* Thaddeus Kosciuszko was a native of Poland and was an engineer 
of great skill. He erected the fortifications of West Point. After the 
war he returned to fight for the freedom of his native land. 



J^ 



156 ESSENTIALS OY AMERICAN HISTORY 

Hudson, thus completely cutting off New England from 
the other colonies. 

3. St. Lcger with two thousand men was to ascend 
the St. Lawrence to Oswego and then, coming down 
the Mohawk valley, enlist the aid and sympathy of the 

Six Nations. 

To carry out his part 



Cherry Valley 



\ 1 




of the campaign, Howe 
intended to march 
across New Jersey 
and, capturing Phila- 
delphia, turn northward 
to aid B u r g o y n e. 
Washington prevented 
this movement, and 
Howe decided, upon 
the advice of his pris- 
oner General Charles 
Lee, it is said, to go by 
water to Philadelphia. 
On July 23, with 
eighteen thousand men, he sailed from New York and a 
week later appeared off the entrance to Delaware bay. 
Signal fires along the coast told the patriots the posi- 
tion of the fleet. Washington marched Quickly south 
with eleven thousand troops. Howe did not sail up 
Delaware bay, but put again to sea and appeared next 
at the mouth of Chesapeake bay. Washington marched 
to Wilmington (Delaware), and Howe, landing his troops, 
hurried to meet him. They met at Chadds Ford on 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 157 

the Brandywine river ^ (Sept. 11, 1777). The Ameri- 
cans were driven back, and Howe entered Philadelphia 
two weeks later. Washington, although driven back, 
had succeeded in delaying Howe so long that coopera- 
tion with Burgoyne was impossible. Washington gave 
the British no peace. A short time later (Oct. 4, 1777) 
he made an attack on their camp at Germantown, but, 
being repulsed, went into winter quarters at Valley 
Forge. ^ 

148. Burgoyne's Expedition; Battle of Bennington, 
Aug. 16, 1777. — Let us see how Burgoyne had fared 
in the meantime. Leaving Montreal in June on his 
eventful march southward with an army of eight thou- 
sand men, composed of English, Hessians, and Indians, 
he captured forts Crown Point and Ticonderoga, and 
pushed on towards Fort Edward (July 5). General 
Schuyler, in command of the American forces, made 
his journey a difficult one. By burning bridges, felling 
trees across the paths and highways, choking up the 
rivers, and carrying off all the cattle and foodstuffs, 

1 This was the first battle in America in which the gallant Lafayett-e 
took part. With him was the brave Polish count Pulaski. 

2 The sufferings of the American army at Valley Forge were inde- 
scribable. The soldiers in their rude huts were exposed to the severe 
winter weather and were compelled, many of them, to sleep on the 
frozen earth. They were without suitable clothing, many being bare- 
footed. Their food was flour mixed with water. Agents of the British 
were constantly trying to bribe the soldiers to leave the patriot army 
and return to the king. A conspiracy was formed against Washington 
to displace him from his command. From its leader it was called the 
Conway Cabal. It failed in its purpose, and Washington rose higher 
than ever in the esteem of his countrvmen. 



158 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Schuyler caused Burgoyne so much delay that he did 
not reach Fort Edward until the latter part of July, — 
twenty-four days to march twenty-six miles. 

Hearing that the Americans had collected large mili- 
tary stores at Bennington, in the present state of Ver- 
mont, Burgoyne dispatched one thousand men under 

—1 Colonel Baum to seize 

them. The brave New 

Hampshire militia and 

Green Mountain Boys, 

under Colonel John Stark,^ 

were waiting for them. On 

the i6th of August the 

Americans met the British. 

When Stark saw the enemy 

he cried: "See, men! 

There are the red-coats ! 

We must beat them to- 

6^ 25 io Too day, or Molly Stark is a 

widow." The patriots were successful and took about 

seven hundred prisoners. The American loss was only 

fifty-six men killed and wounded.^ This victory enabled 

1 General John Stark was born of Irish parentage in Londonderry, 
New Hampshire, Aug. 28, 1728. He had already distinguished himself 
at Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Trenton. The battle- of Bennington 
raised him to a front rank in the nation's heroes. He died in Man- 
chester, New Hampshire, May 8, 1S22. 

2 A farmer who had five sons in this battle who were fighting for their 
country was told that one of them had been unfortunate. " Has he been 
a coward or a traitor ? " he asked anxiously. " Worse than that," was the 
reply. " He has been killed fighting bravely." With a sigh of relief but 
with a choking voice, the old man answered, " Then I am satisfied." 




SCALE OF MILES 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 159 

the patriots to get in the rear of Burgoyne and cut off 
his supplies from Canada. 

149. Fort Stanwix ; Surrender of Burgoyne, Oct. 17, 
1777' — In the meantime St. Leger had landed at Oswego 
and, pushing eastward, besieged Fort Stanwix (August 3), 
the site of the present city of Rome, New York.^ 
Schuyler, hearing of the distress of the fort, sent Bene- 
dict Arnold to relieve it. After three days of siege the 
garrison rushed out and captured five British flags. They 
hoisted these upside down over the ramparts, and above 
them raised a flag made of a piece of blue jacket, a white 
shirt, and some red flannel. In June Congress had 
adopted as our national flag the stars and stripes, and 
at Fort Stanwix it was for the first time thrown to the 
breeze. On the approach of Arnold,^ St. Leger fled to 
Oswego, and another blow was given to Burgoyne 's 
hopes. 

Schuyler was now removed from the command, and 
Gates took his place. Burgoyne, seeing the enemy 

1 General Nicholas Herkimer with eight hundred militia was en route 
to relieve the garrison in Fort Stanwix when he was attacked in a 
ravine near Oriskany by Joseph Brant and his Mohawk warriors. Both 
sides suffered fearful losses, and Herkimer was fatally wounded. 

2 Arnold resorted to a stratagem to frighten the Indians who were 
with St. Leger. A half-witted Tory boy who had been condemned to 
death as a spy was promised his life if he would go to the British camp 
and report the advance of a large body of Americans. Filling his coat 
with bullet holes, he rushed headlong among St. Leger's Indians. When 
asked how many Americans were coming he pointed to the leaves of 
the trees. The Indians, thoroughly terrified, threw down their arms and, 
after sacking the camp, scattered through the woods in all directions. 
During St. Leger's retreat these Indians, his former allies, hung on the 
flanks of his army, killing and plundering the British with true savage glee. 



l6o ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

drawing around him, his supphes becoming scarcer 
every day, and his Indian alHes deserting, attacked 
the Americans at Bemis Heights near Saratoga Sep- 
tember 19. An indecisive battle was fought, in which 
Benedict Arnold showed great bravery. 

On October 7 Burgoyne again attacked the Americans 
at Stillwater, but was badly defeated by Arnold, whose 
leg was shattered by a musket ball. Giving up all hope 
of assistance from Howe, hemmed in on all sides, Bur- 
goyne surrendered, Oct. 17, 1777, at Saratoga, his whole 
army of six thousand men and his military stores. 

The battle of Saratoga was one of the decisive battles 
of the world. ^ It had most important results for the 
American cause. It completely destroyed the plan of 
the war, prevented English control of the Hudson and 
New York state, secured the aid of France, and 
induced the English to seek reconciliation. 

150. The French Alliance ; the British retreat to Phila- 
delphia ; Battle of Monmouth. — Congress had sent 
Benjamin Franklin to Paris in October, 1776, to seek 
the aid of the French king.^ For a long time he was 

1 No military event can be said to have exercised more important 
influence on the future fortunes of mankind than the complete defeat of 
Burgoyne's expedition in 1777 ; a defeat which rescued the revolted 
colonies from certain subjection and which, by inducing the courts of 
France and Spain to attack England in their behalf, insured the inde- 
pendence of the United States. — Creasy, Fifteen Decisive Battles of 
the World. 

2 As early as May, 1776, France had sent two hundred thousand dol- 
lars to aid the American cause and in July of the same year merchandise 
to the value of almost six hundred thousand dollars. At the same time 
she allowed American privateers to fit out in her ports. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION i6l 

unsuccessful. The surrender of Burgoyne and the 
renewed attempts by the king of England at reconcil- 
iation with the revolted colonies induced the king of 
France to sign a treaty Feb. 6, 1778. By this treaty 
the Americans were bound to accept no terms of peace 
until the British government should recognize the inde- 
pendence of the United States. Spain and Holland 
afterwards joined France. A French fleet was now dis- 
patched to our assistance. Lord Howe had been super- 
seded in the command of the British by Sir Henry 
Clinton. Hearing of the approach of the French fleet, 
Clinton left Philadelphia and marched to New York. 
Washington pressed behind him and overtook the 
British rear guard at Monmouth, where he attacked it. 
At the moment of victory Charles Lee,^ who had been 
exchanged and had again received a command, ordered 
a disgraceful retreat. Washington fortunately came 
up in time to save his army, and the British, having 
lost two thousand men, hurried on to New York.^ 

151. Battle of Butts Hill, Newport ; Capture of Stony 
Point. — Washington now hoped to take New York 
City with the aid of the French ships under Count 
d'Estaing, but the sand bars at the entrance to the 

^ For his cowardice or treachery in this battle, Lee was tried by 
court-martial and suspended from the army. For insulting Washington, 
he was later expelled, and died in obscurity. 

'^ While carrying water to the tired soldiers, Molly Pitcher saw her 
husband shot down at his cannon. She at once took his place and 
loaded and fired the gun during the battle. Washington, in recognition 
of her bravery, made her a lieutenant, and Congress gave her half pay 
for life. She died in 1833, and her grave at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is 
marked by a monument, erected by a grateful people in her honor. 



l62 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

harbor prevented their approach. He dispatched the 
fleet, therefore, to attack Newport, which was held by 
the British. 

The land force was commanded by General Sullivan, 
who was aided by Lafayette ; a disastrous storm scat- 
jtered the fleet, and the Americans were attacked in 
their intrenchments on Butts Hill (Aug. 29, 1778). 
The British were repulsed with severe losses. This 
was the last campaign fought in the North between the 
two armies. After the British withdrew from Newport 
New York City was the only point north of Virginia 
held by them until the war closed. 

Hoping to draw General Washington away from 
New York, Clinton sent expeditions to ravage unpro- 
tected places. Marthas Vineyard and New Bedford 
were swept by fire ; Portsmouth and Norfolk, in Virginia, 
were burned and the defenseless citizens murdered. In 
Connecticut New Haven, Fairfield, and Norwalk were 
destroyed. These raids were marked with a trail of 
blood and cruelty, resembling more the warfare of 
savages than of civilized men. 

Washington, however, had other plans in view. He 
quietly sent (July, 1779) General Anthony Wayne ^ — 

1 Anthony Wayne was born in Pennsylvania of Irish parentage. He 
was appointed a brigadier general and fought heroically at Brandy wine, 
Germantown, and Monmouth. Congress gave him a vote of thanks 
for the brilliant exploit at Stony Point. He took a leading part in the 
operations of Yorktown when Cornwallis surrendered. He was later 
a member of the convention which ratified the Constitution of the 
United States and was made a major general. He was given command 
of the army against the Indians, whom he thoroughly defeated. He told 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 163 

" Mad Anthony," he was called, because of his bravery 
— up the Hudson to capture Stony Point. This was an 
important post in the river below West Point, and had 
been captured by Clinton six weeks before. With 
twelve hundred men, at midnight July 15, Wayne 
silently stole up the hill towards the fort.^ Before the 
garrison was aware of their presence they sprang over 
the outworks and carried all before them at the point 
of the bayonet. Wayne destroyed the fort, as he was 
not strong enough to hold it, and withdrew, taking with 
him all the military stores. 

152. Indian Warfare ; the Massacres in Wyoming 
and Cherry Valley. — The Indians were now let loose 
on the frontier settlements. The Seneca tribe and 
a regiment of Tories, led by Colonel John Butler, 
invaded the Wyoming valley in Pennsylvania. Fight- 
ing against overwhelming numbers, the brave Ameri- 
can patriots were surrounded (July 3, 1778) and 
defeated. 

The Indians put their captives to death with the 
most horrible tortures. The Tories rivaled in ferocity 
their savage allies. The beautiful valley was left a 
smoldering desert, and the women and children, driven 
to the woods, perished miserably. 

them he would rise from his grave against them if they broke the treaty. 
He died in 1796 and is buried in Old St. David's at Radnor, the church- 
yard which Longfellow has described so beautifully in his poem, " Old 
St. David's." 

1 It is said that Wayne killed every dog within a distance of three 
miles lest their barking might alarm the garrison. For the same reason, 
not a gun was loaded. 



l64 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Another band of Tories and Indians, under the 
infamous Joseph Brant, ^ came up the Mohawk valley 
and fell on Cherry Valley (Nov. lo, 1778), where they 
put to death men, women, and children. Washington 
determined to stop these massacres and sent General 
Sullivan against the Indians, whom he met and over- 
whelmed at Newtown, on the site of the present city of 
Elmira. With fire and sword Sullivan now swept like 
a whirlwind 'through the territory of the Iroquois, 
utterly destroying forty villages. The crops were 
burned, the fruit trees cut down, and the land left 
desolate. The power of the Indian confederacy was 
broken forever. 

153. War in the West ; George Rogers Clark ; Father 
Gibault. — The British commander at Detroit, Colonel 
Hamilton, urged the Indians to a united attack on the 
American frontier settlements.^ A young Virginian, 
George Rogers Clark, was commissioned to lead an 
expedition into the West and seize the English forts 
between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Embarking 
(June 26, 1778) at Fort Pitt, they sailed down the river 
to a point forty miles above its mouth. Here they 
landed and began their perilous journey across swamps, 

1 Joseph Brant was a Mohawk Indian who had been well educated, 
and became later a missionary for the Church of Englar^d. At the out- 
break of the Revolution he placed himself at the head of the Mohawks, 
as thorough a savage as the most bloodthirsty of his followers. With 
his Tory allies he spread death and destruction wherever he waged his 
inhuman warfare. 

2 To encourage them in their murderous work, Hamilton paid the 
Indians bounties only on scalps. As they received nothing for prisoners, 
they took none. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



165 



through forests and thickets, at times without food or 
shelter. Kaskaskia fell into their hands, and, a little 
later, Cahokia, 
without firing 
a shot. Here 
Clark met 
Father Peter 
Gibault,^ who 
joined himself 
to the Ameri- 
can cause. Set- 



ting out at once 
for Vincennes, 
Father Gibault 
induced the 




^^^ 



Boonesboro V 



Clark's Expedition 



French and the Catholic Indians to yield to Clark, 
who, in consequence, took the fort without firing a 

1 Father Gibault himself, like Clark, had reason to complain of his 
later treatment. " At one time," says Roosevelt, " he was suffering 
from poverty, due to his loyal friendship to the Americans ; for he had 
advanced Clark's troops both goods and peltries for which he had never 
received payment. In a petition to Congress he showed how this failure 
to repay him had reduced him to want." " Next to Clark and Vigo," 
says Judge John Law, "the United States are more indebted to Father 
Gibault for the accession of the states comprised in what was the original 
Northwest territory than to any other man." 

Clark's last years were spent in poverty near Louisville. Virginia, as 
a mark of her esteem, in his declining days sent a committee to him with 
a beautiful sword. Clark exclaimed : " When Virginia needed a sword, 
I gave her one. She sends me now a toy. I want bread ! " He thrust 
the sword into the ground and broke it with his crutch. 

Fran9ois Vigo was an Italian who escaped from captivity and brought 
Clark news of the weakness of the British garrison at Vincennes. lie 
was ever the stanch friend of the Americans. 



l66 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

shot. The British later took the fort, but could hold 
it only a short time, for Clark again captured it. This 
territory was annexed to Virginia and was called the 
county of Illinois. This heroic march of Clark and 
the friendly offices of Father Gibault gave us the title 
to this section. The Great Lakes, instead of the 
Ohio, became, in consequence, the southern boundary 
of British possessions at the conclusion of the war. 

154. War on the Ocean ; Barry and Jones. — At the 
outbreak of the war the patriots were greatly hampered 
by the lack of a naval force. While no regular navy 
was available to destroy British shipping, private cruis- 
ers were built, and during the next four years did great 
damage to English vessels. These cruisers crossed the 
sea, hovered around the coasts of England, and captured 
in three years six hundred vessels. Congress, in the 
meantime, had appointed Esek Hopkins of Rhode 
Island commander of a little navy of five ships, but 
this navy was soon destroyed or dispersed. Another 
attempt at the formation of a navy was made by the 
purchase of several merchant vessels. The command 
of one of these vessels, the Lexingtojt, was given to 
Captain John Barry,^ who raised, for the first time on 

1 Commodore John Barry was born in Wexford, Ireland, and came 
to America at the age of thirteen. He rapidly rose irn the merchant 
marine and at twenty-five was captain of one of the best packet ships 
of the day. At the outbreak of the Revolution he gave up the best 
ship in America to serve the patriot cause. Lord Howe offered him 
command of the best frigate in the English navy and fifteen thousand 
guineas if he would join the British forces. Barry answered, "I have 
devoted myself to the cause of America and not the value and com- 
mand of the whole British fleet can seduce me from it." 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



167 



the sea, the American flag, and shortly afterward met 
and captured the British man-of-war, Edward, after a 
vigorous battle. He fought battles everywhere along 
the coasts, inflicting severe losses on the enemy. In 
March, 1794, Captain Barry _-^ 

was placed at the head of the 
list of commanders, with the 
rank of commodore. He has 
been called '' The Father of 
the American Navy." In 
Captain Barry's squadron, 
which set out to maintain the 
American flag upon the sea, 
was John Paul Jones,^ a lieu- 
tenant on the Alfred. Later 
Jones made his name forever 
illustrious in naval annals. 
With three vessels he sailed 
boldly for the English coasts 
Jiommc Richard, had been given to him by the king of 
France. Off Flamborough Head, a bold promontory on 
the east coast of England, he met an English fleet from 
the Baltic under the conduct of two men-of-war, the 




John Barry 

His vessel, the Bon- 



1 John Paul Jones was born in Scotland, and entered the American 
service in 1775. He made many cruises and received for his victory 
over the Serapis a gold medal with the thanks of Congress and a gold 
sword from the king of France. After the Revolution he became a 
rear admiral in the Russian navy, and died in Paris in 1792. Pie was 
a man of remarkable courage and daring. In one of Jones' maneuvers 
during the great sea fight the British captain asked, " Have you struck ? " 
" Struck ! " replied Jones ; " I have not begun to fight ! " 



l68 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough. Although 
the odds were against him, Jones at once made an 
attack, and after a hand-to-hand struggle captured both 
vessels. He transferred his men and stores to the 
Serapis just in time, for his own vessel soon sank 
beneath the waves. 

155. The War in the South ; Savannah taken ; Fall of 
Charleston. — In 1778 the war was transferred to the 
South, the British hoping to capture each state in suc- 
cession. Georgia passed first into the hands of the 
English, and the royal governor was again placed in 
office. The Americans under Lincoln, aided by the 
French fleet, attempted (October, 1779) to recapture 
Savannah, but were badly defeated. They lost one 
thousand men, among them being the gallant Polish 
officer Pulaski and the hero of Fort Moultrie, Sergeant 
Jasper. Lincoln withdrew to South Carolina. Clinton 
now came down from New York with eight thousand 
men and was later joined by three thousand others. 
Encouraged by their successes, they now pushed north- 
ward and surrounded Charleston, where Lincoln had 
intrenched himself. The British prepared to assault the 
city with overwhelming numbers, and Lincoln, seeing 
how hopeless his position was, surrendered his army of 
three thousand men with his military stores. It was a 
fearful blow to the patriot cause.^ The British could now 
overrun South Carolina; but the militia, under the brave 

1 The English statesman, Horace Walpole, exclaimed on hearing of 
the surrender, " We look on America as at our feet." But he was 
sorely mistaken, as events soon proved. 



THE PERIOD OP^ THE REVOLUTION 169 

Marion, Sumter, Pickens, and Clark, kept up an incessant 
warfare, striking first here, then there, until the British 
forces left the state. 

156. Battle of Camden and Kings Mountain. — Con- 
gress now placed Gates in command of the army in the 
South against the recommendation of Washington, who 
had no faith in him. He pushed into South Carolina, 
where the British under Cornwallis were intrenched at 
Camden. Gates attacked the enemy (Aug. 16, 1780), 
but was completely routed. The brave De Kalb was 
mortally wounded, and Gates saved himself by fleeing on 
horseback till he was in safety, sixty miles from the 
battlefield. This was perhaps the darkest hour of the 
Revolution, for the three southern colonies were now in 
the hands of the British. Two American armies had 
been crushed and no force apparently remained to with- 
stand the onward march of the British to Virginia. 

But the patriots were not yet conquered. A short 
time later (Oct. 7, 1780) a force of British regulars and 
Tories under General Ferguson was attacked in the 
highlands of South Carolina at a point called Kings 
Mountain. The patriots were the backwoodsmen, who 
with deadly aim cut to pieces the British force. Fer- 
guson was killed and his command annihilated. 

157. Treason of Benedict Arnold, Sept. 22, 1780 

About this time a heavy blow fell on the patriot 
cause. Benedict Arnold, who had fought so bravely 
at Ticonderoga, Quebec, and Saratoga, formed a plot 
to deliver up the most important post in America, — 
West Point. Two years previously Arnold was in 



I/O ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

command of Philadelphia and was involved in troubles of 
various natures. He was sentenced to be reprimanded 
by Washington. Remembering Arnold's bravery and 
moved by deep pity for him, Washington's reprimand 
was of the mildest sort. Arnold was stung, however, 
by the disgrace and sought revenge. Six months later 
he asked Washington for the command of West Point, 
and obtaining it, at once entered into correspondence 
with Clinton to betray it. Major John Andre was 
selected to carry out the details. He met Arnold at 
West Point, but on his way back^ was captured with 
the fatal papers concealed in his boots. He was tried 
and hanged as a spy. Arnold escaped to the British 
vessel, the Vultiwe. He received for his infamy about 
thirty-two thousand dollars and a position on the staff 
of General Clinton. 

158. General Greene in the South ; Battles of Cowpens, 
Guilford Court House, Hobkirks Hill, Eutaw Springs. — 
A third army was now raised in the South, with 
General Nathanael Greene^ in command. Greene 

1 While riding along the wooded road near Sleepy Hollow, Andre 
was startled by three men who suddenly confronted him. These men 
were Paulding, Van Wart, and Williams. One of the party wore a Hes- 
sian coat and Andre, mistaking him for one of the British allies, asked 
him if he did not belong to the lower or British party. They answered 
yes, and Andre at once told them he was a British officer on important 
business. They then declared themselves to be Americans and Andre's 
heart sank. They ordered him to dismount, found the papers, and led 
him away to the nearest military post. Andre offered the patriots 
bribes of all kinds, but they scorned them. Congress voted them a 
medal and a pension of two hundred dollars a year for life. 

- General Nathanael Green was born in Rhode Island in 1742. His 
family were Quakers. During the Revolution he took part in the 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



171 



immediately began a series of maneuvers that showed 
him to be the most skillful general in the American 
army except Washington. Knowing he had not a suffi- 
cient force to attack Cornwallis in the open field, he 







resolved to wear him out. With the aid of Daniel 
Morgan, the sharpshooter, William Washington, Kos- 
ciuszko the brave Polish engineer, Henry Lee, Marion, 
Sumter, Pickens, and other equally brave officers, he 
began a series of the most brilliant military operations. 
Morgan attacked Tarleton, who had been sent against 
him by Cornwallis at Cowpens (Jan, 17, 1781), and 

battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown. His 
wonderful campaign against Cornwallis in the South gave him a place 
in our military history second only to Washington. He died in 1786. 



1/2 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

completely destroyed his forces, thus cutting off one 
third of Cornwallis' army. That general now started 
in pursuit of Greene, who desired to lead him further 
and further into a hostile country, far from his base 
of supplies. The chase was maintained for two hun- 
dred miles, when Greene suddenly turned around and 
fought Cornwallis at Guilford Court House (March 15, 
1 781). Greene was defeated, but Cornwallis' forces 
were so badly cut up that he turned and retreated. 
Greene now became the pursuer, but Cornwallis hur- 
ried on to join the British forces in Virginia. Greene, 
leaving Cornwallis to go his way, hastened southward 
to clear the British out of South Carolina. At Hob- 
kirks Hill, two miles from Camden, he was attacked 
by Rawdon and defeated, but, as usual, fell back in 
such good order that Rawdon gave up Camden to save 
his army. Lee and Marion gained victories in many 
small contests, and Greene, pushing onward, met 
the British again at Eutaw Springs (Sept. 8, 1781), 
where he was defeated. The British now held them- 
selves in Charleston under the protection of their fleet. 
In thirteen months Greene had practically recovered 
the Carolinas and Georgia from British rule. 

159. Surrender of Cornwallis. — As we saw above, 
Cornwallis had abandoned the Carolinas and marched 
into Virginia, where a British force under the traitor 
Arnold and Phillips was plundering the country. 
Lafayette with three thousand men was at Rich- 
mond and Cornwallis resolved to capture him ; but 
Lafayette was too clever and retreated skillfully with 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



173 



his weak force. At length Cornwallis, desiring for 
the sake of his supplies to be near the sea, marched 
down the peninsula and with seven thousand men 
took position at Yorktown. Lafayette followed him 
with five thousand men. Now occurred the supreme 
moment of the long struggle. On Aug. 14, 1781, news 
reached Washington that the magnificent and power- 
ful French fleet of twenty- 



eight war ships and six 
frigates, under Count de 
Grasse, had sailed from the 
West Indies for Chesapeake 
bay. Washington decided 
on the daring plan of march- 
ing four hundred miles to 
Virginia, joining Lafayette, 
and hemming in Cornwallis 
by land, while the French 
fleet cut off his retreat by 
sea. Pretending he was pre- 
paring to attack New York, " ^' "^^ ^'^ 
Washington, with two thousand Americans and four 
thousand French soldiers under Rochambeau, who had 
joined him from Connecticut, left the Hudson and 
hurried southward.^ Before the British knew what he 
was about, he had reached Philadelphia and, embark- 
ing at the head of Chesapeake bay, was approaching 




SCALE OF MfLES 



1 At this time Robert Morris again came to the aid of Washington 
with money. Rochambeau furnished twenty thousand dollars and 
from France arrived supplies and half a million dollars. 



174 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Yorktown. There he soon joined Lafayette. Sixteen 
thousand men were now encamped across the narrow 
peninsula to cut off Cornwallis. In the meantime the 
French fleet appeared. An English squadron followed 
from the West Indies and attacked the French fleet, 
but was repulsed. Cornwallis had no hope of escape 
left. From September till the middle of October shot 
and shell fell on the British camp from American and 
French guns. Day by day the lines were moved nearer 
and nearer to the British camp. Cornwallis, seeing 
the hopelessness of his position, surrendered on the 
19th of October, 1781. His army of seven thou- 
sand two hundred and forty-seven men and eight hun- 
dred and forty-seven seamen threw down their arms. 
The allied troops were drawn up, Americans on the 
right, French on the left, with Washington and 
Rochambeau at their head.^ Between these lines 
the captured army marched out while the band played 
an old English tune, *'The World turned Upside 
Down." 

160. Independence acknowledged ; Treaty of Peace. — 
The news of Yorktown was received everywhere in the 
colonies with transports of delight. From the hilltops 
bonfires told the glad news, and fast riders hurried on 
to the most distant points with the cheerful tidings. ^ 

1 Cornwallis pretended to be ill, and sent his sword by General O'Hara. 
It was delivered to General Lincoln, who had surrendered at Charleston. 
A statue to Rochambeau was dedicated May 24, 1902, in Washington. 

2 The courier reached Philadelphia and the watchman cried out, 
" Past two o'clock and Cornwallis is taken ! " There was no more sleep 
that night in the city. The old doorkeeper of Congress died of joy. 




30 



25 



0\ (S/Q 



s,v M ^ ( I Nashville 
J$^ N O ; R T H 7y A R 

,-g^:&-:jfc^;;^ii:^-R=^"^^^pt- 



O 



.Nat7"*^- ^^' ^'i''i? "ntil 1795 



Cape /^ear 



Charleston 
''Savannah 



ivS P I A N Tn'S* H~ 



V 



P^-^-.4.- 



30 




i^ 



\St.Augustine 



^ 



^ 



MAP OF THE 



ED STATES 



^rrs 



26 



t) 



At the Close of the Revolution ^ ] <^ 

Showing Western Land Claims of States 

AND THE Boundaries fixed by Treaty of 1783. 

See also Table of Boundaries. 

SCALE OF MILES 



^ 



100 200 300 400 

I 



500 



92 



Longitude 87 



West 



82 



from 



77 Greenwich 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 175 

In Paris the houses were illuminated and a Te Deum was 
sung in Notre Dame. In England the news created 
the utmost consternation. When Lord North, the 
Prime Minister, heard of the surrender he threw up 
his arms and cried, '* It is all over!" The king and 
his ministers tried in vain to continue the war.^ 
Burke, Fox, and Pitt denounced these attempts with 
such success that the king at last agreed to the 
acknowledgment of independence, and the preliminary 
treaty was signed at Versailles, near Paris. 

On April 19, 1783, the eighth anniversary of the 
battle of Lexington, the army was disbanded by Wash- 
ington and the heroic patriots returned to their homes. ^ 

By the final treaty of peace, signed Sept. 3, 1783, 
the United States embraced the country between the 
Atlantic and the Mississippi. Florida was ceded to 
Spain by Great Britain. Spain also claimed the 

1 " ^ Anril, 1782, the Dutch RepubUc acknowledged the independence 
o^ ,ed States, being the second power in the world to do so, 

of course being the first. 

2 After the surrender of Cornwallis Washington with his army 
returned to the Hudson river, where he established his headquarters at 
Newburg. The British troops left New York Nov. 25, 1783. Wash- 
ington then went to New York to bid farewell to his devoted and 

ficers. The latter assembled at noon December 4, and Wash- 
said, " With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave 
of you and most devoutly wish your later days may be as prosperous 
and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable." 
2n journeyed on to Annapolis, where in the presence of Congress 
• e up his command amid the tears and cordial good wishes of 
..triot. He returned at once to his estate in Yirginia a private 
He had expended sixty-five thousand dollars from his private 
Tor the cause of independence, but for his services he declined 
any reward. 



176 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

territory at the mouth of the Mississippi. The area 
of the territory ceded to the United States was about 
eight hundred thousand square miles. 

161. The Northwest Territory. — Scarcely was the 
war over when the various states claimed title to lands 
in the West. We have already seen that under the 
charters of many of the colonies the grants extended 
from sea to sea. A glance at the map will show 
that Massachusetts claimed a large part of the pres- 
ent states of Wisconsin and lower Michigan ; Con- 
necticut claimed a strip across Ohio, Indiana, and 
Illinois, and also a part of Pennsylvania ; New York 
claimed the territory over which the Iroquois had ruled 
— practically all the Northwest ; Virginia through her 
charter and George Rogers Clark's expedition claimed 
an enormous area. The states, led by New York and 
a little later by Virginia, which was the largest owner, 
at last generously gave up the territory to the national 
government, and it was organized as the Northwest 
Territory in 1787. This cession had most important 
results. It bound the newly born states together at a 
time when through dissensions the confederation was 
in danger of falling to pieces.^ 

The ordinance provided that no less than three 
nor more than five states might be formed from the 

1 We are accustomed to praise the lawgivers of antiquity — but I 
doubt whether one single law of any lawgiver, ancient or modern, has 
produced effects of more distinct, marked and lasting character than 
the ordinance of 1787. — Daniel Webster. 

The ordinance followed in many respects one which had been drafted 
in 1784 by Jefferson. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 177 

territory ; * that freedom of worship should be allowed ; 
that trial by jury should be granted ; that slavery 
should be forever prohibited, and that schools and the 
means of education should be forever encouraged. The 
provision against slavery was of the greatest impor- 
tance, as it prevented that system from gaining a 
foothold in these great states.^ 

162. Shays' Rebellion ; Defects of the Articles of Con- 
federation. — The United States were now independent, 
but dangers beset them on every hand. They were 
heavily loaded with debt,^ and the armies were still 
unpaid. The paper money was practically worthless, 
and everywhere there was great distress. In western 
Massachusetts the farmers were unable to pay their 
debts. Seeing their cattle seized for debt and their 
homesteads sold because of the heavy land taxation, 
they arose in rebellion under Daniel Shays, a captain 

1 The states that have lieen formed are Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michi- 
gan, and Wisconsin. A part of a sixth state, Minnesota, was also made 
from this territory. 

2 The land south of the Ohio was claimed by Virginia, North Caro- 
lina, South Carolina, and Georgia. South Carolina resigned her claim 
in 1787. In the section of North Carolina west of the mountains an 
independent state was organized by the inhabitants. Finally, in 1790, 
North Carolina ceded Tennessee to the United States. In 1792 Ken- 
tucky was formed into a separate state with the permission of Virginia. 
Alabama and Mississippi in 1S04 were ceded by Georgia to the national 
government. 

3 It has been estimated that the total debt contracted by the colonies 
in the war was one hundred and forty millions of dollars. France spent 
directly sixty millions of dollars in our service, besides very large sums 
elsewhere in her war with Great Britain. The debt of England was 
increased five hundred and seventy-five millions of dollars. 



lyS ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

in the continental army. They surrounded the court- 
houses at Worcester and Springfield, but were finally 
dispersed. It was now felt that the Articles of Con- 
federation were too weak to sustain a strong govern- 
ment. Under these Articles Congress had no power 
to enforce its laws ; it could not levy taxes for any 
purpose ; there was no freedom of trade among the 
states, one state passing tariff laws against another ; 
trade was prostrate owing to the condition of the cur- 
rency. Affairs reached such a fearful condition that 
finally Virginia issued an invitation to all the states to 
send delegates to a conference at Annapolis. As only 
five states responded, little was accomplished. Another 
invitation was thereupon sent to the colonies for a con- 
vention to be held in Philadelphia in May, 1787. 

The Constitutional Convention 

This convention was composed of fifty-five members.^ 
George Washington was chosen as the presiding officer. 
After four months' discussion, a new constitution was 
adopted Sept. 17, 1787. 

Before going into effect it had to receive the 
approval of nine states, which was secured June 21, 
1788. 

163. The New Constitution. — Under the Articles of 
Confederation there was one House of Congress, but 

^ The number of delegates chosen to the convention was sixty-five. 
Ten, however, did not arrive, while sixteen did not sign. The number 
of signers was thirty-nine. 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION 



179 



no President and no developed system of federal courts. 
The great weakness of the national government lay in 
the fact that it could not enforce its decrees. The 
new Constitution provided for three departments : 

1. The Legislative, to consist of a Congress made 
up of a Senate and a House of Representatives. 

This department was created to make the laws. 

2. The Executive, to consist of a President and 
officers to carry out these laws. 

3. The Judicial, to consist of the federal or national 
courts to interpret the laws. 




Signing the Constitution 



While the legislature of each state could still enact 
laws for its state, the Constitution became the supreme 
law of the land, to be obeyed by the national and state 
governments and by the people. The new Consti- 
tution thus brought into existence a strong central 



l8o ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

government. By establishing the presidency and the 
Supreme Court, by compelling freedom of trade among 
the states, and granting to Congress power to levy 
taxes, the Constitution laid broad and deep the founda- 
tions of our national life.^ 

In November, 1791, the first ten amendments were 
added. They safeguarded the rights of the people by 
securing the freedom of religion, speech, person, and 
property. 

SUMMARY 

The American Revolution was begun because of the repeated 
attempt of the British Parliament to levy taxes on the colonists 
without their consent. 

On July 4, 1776, independence was proclaimed by the colonists. 

On Oct. 17, 1777, Burgoyne surrendered. France thereupon 
openly aided us with money, men, and a fleet. 

On Oct. 19, 1 78 1, Cornwalhs surrendered. 

In 1783 the king of England acknowledged our independence. 

In 1789 the new Constitution went into effect, and we became 
one of the nations of the earth. 

1 There were many compromises necessary in the convention to 
secure the adoption of the Constitution. The first question arose over 
representation. The small states feared lest the large states would be 
able through greater representation to deny them their rights. It was 
finally arranged that in the House of Representatives the members 
should be elected according to population; in the Senate every state, 
large and small, should have two votes. This satisfied the smaller 
states. A second question arose on the basis of representation. Should 
slaves who could not vote be enumerated when the population was 
taken as the basis of representation ? It was finally agreed that in the 
enumeration to determine the number of representatives to which a 
state was entitled, five slaves should count as three freemen. The 
third question touched the slave trade, and it was forbidden to prohibit 
this trade before 1808. 



CHAPTER X 
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE UNITED STATES 

164. The Three Great Geographical Regions. — The 

United States consists of three great geographical 
regions : the Atlantic slope, the Central plain, and the 
Western highland. 

The Atlantic slope extends from the Atlantic ocean 
to the crest of the Appalachian mountains. Good har- 
bors are numerous ; many rivers furnish abundant water 
power ; in the Middle and Southern States the bays and 
rivers afford water ways to the interior. The settlement 
of this slope proceeded very slowly and at the time of 
the Revolution it was under the rule of Great Britain. 

The Central plain comprises the territory from the 
crest of the Appalachians westward to the crest of the 
Rockies, — an area of wondrous fertility, traversed by 
the rivers of the great Mississippi system. Intrepid 
French explorers and missionaries discovered most of 
this region and over the greater part of it waved the flag 
of France until the downfall of French power in America. 

The Western highland comprises the territory from 
the Rocky mountains westward to the Pacific. 

165. The Effect of Physical Features on the Settlement 
of the Country. — The English made their earUest settle- 
ments along the Atlantic seaboard. Forests and moun- 
tains and tribes of hostile Indians tended to prevent 

i8i 



l82 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

them from moving westward to the great Central plain.^ 
This compact grouping of the colonies led to a well- 
ordered system of government and a harmony of ideas 
which at the proper time resulted in securing inde- 
pendence from Great Britain. 

Through the passes of the Appalachians and along 
the water way of the Ohio a great westward movement 
began soon after the war of independence. Emigrants 
from Europe seeking homes on the vast Central plain 
swelled the number of the colonists. Cities were built, 
governments were organized, and states were formed 
until the entire Mississippi basin became the scene of 
a prosperous civilization. 

The Western highland was less fertile, not having 
sufficient rainfall except in certain parts of the Pacific 
coast, but the discovery of gold, silver, and other metals 
caused a tide of immigration to this region. 

166. The Resources of the United States. — The 
United States is wonderfully endowed with all the 
physical requirements of a great civilization. Thus, by 
means of the water power of the East, manufacturing 
was begun and this was later developed by protective 
laws ; the fields of the South produce an abundance of 
cotton, sugar, and rice'; in the great upper Mississippi 
basin grow wheat and corn, more than enough for the 
entire nation ; coal, iron, and other valuable minerals 

1 In fact, George III in 1763 drew a line around the sources of the 
rivers which flow into the Atlantic. This was the so-called "proclama- 
tion line." The country west of this line was set apart for the Indians, 

and the colonists for the time were forbidden to settle there. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES 



183 



abound ; the Hudson river, the Erie canal, and the Great 
Lakes form a continuous water route from New York 
to the heart of the country, while the Mississippi and its 
tributaries furnish a water way for thousands of miles ; 
railroads in every direction overcome any natural obsta- 
cles that would impede the pathways of commerce. 




Relief Map of the United States 

Except Alaska and the tropical possessions, the United 
States has a temperate climate,^ — the climate of the 
countries that lead the world's progress. The rainfall, 
except on parts of the Western plains and highland, is 
abundant. 

The products of the farms, forests, and mines ; the 
deep water ways of the bays, rivers, and lakes ; the 



1 The climate of the United States is in its general features like that 
of the European countries from which our immigrants ha,ve come, 



l84 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

excellent water power of the streams, have helped to 
make the United States the richest and most pro- 
gressive nation of the world. 

With settlers drawn from every nation of Europe, the 
United States enjoyed during the nineteenth century 
the most wonderful progress recorded in the pages of 
history. 



CHAPTER XI 
THE PERIOD OF UNION 

Washington's Administration, i 789-1 797 

167. The Inauguration; Political Parties. — George 

Washington^ was unanimously elected first President 
of the United States and John Adams was chosen 
Vice President. Washington's journey from his home 
in Virginia to New York was a triumphal progress. 
Everywhere the people with glad acclaim, with ban- 
ners, music, and flowers welcomed him. He was inau- 
gurated April 30, 1789, on the balcony of the Federal 
Building, which occupied the present site of the Sub- 
treasury on Wall Street in New York City.^ 

Washington belonged to no political party. Two 
parties had now arisen in the country, however, — the 
Federalist and the Republican.^ The Federalists, led 

1 George Washington was born, of English descent, in Westmoreland 
County, Virginia, Feb. 22, 1732. In his early life he was a surveyor 
and at nineteen was appointed major by Governor Dinwiddle. From 
that time he became the leading figure in our national life. He died 
Dec. 14, 1799, loved and respected by the entire nation. 

2 Washington's first cabinet consisted of Jefferson, secretary of state ; 
Hamilton, secretary of the treasury; Knox, secretary of war; and 
Randolph, attorney-general. In this cabinet were men of entirely differ- 
ent political beliefs. Hamilton was a strong Federalist while Jefferson 
was an equally strong Republican, as the anti-Federalists were now called. 
From these Republicans descended the present Democratic party. 

^ This is not the Republican party of the present day. 

185 



l86 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



by Hamilton, believed in a strong central govern- 
ment ; the Republicans, with Jefferson as their leader, 
would give the greatest possible power to the individual 
states. 

168. Payment of the Debts, 1790. — The first great 
achievement of Washington's administration was the 
arrangement for the payment of the public debt. On 

account of the extraordi- 



f7 ~-t^r-,^_ 




nary expenses of the war, 
vast sums had been ex- 
pended by the Conti- 
nental Congress, and 
also by the various states. 
To foreign countries, 
especially France, Spain, 
and Holland, we owed 
more than eleven mil- 
lions of dollars. The 
home debt'-was about 
forty millions of dollars, 
while the states had contracted obligations to the 
amount of nearly twenty-two millions of dollars. 

Hamilton proposed that the United States should 
pay off all the indebtedness. There was no objection 
to the payment of the foreign and domestic debts. 
There was, however, the strongest opposition to the 
payment of the state debts by the federal govern- 
ment. It was maintained by many that the states 
should pay off their own debts. Congress having no 
authority to do so. The measure became a law finally 



Alexander Hamilton 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 187 

through the efforts of Hamilton/ who made a com- 
promise with Jefferson,^ 

The national revenue was now largely increased by a 
tariff laid on imports ; that is, a tax or duty was placed 
on foreign goods arriving at our ports.^ 

A little later a tax was placed on whisky and other 
liquors. Hamilton also proposed the establishment of 
a national bank to act as financial agent of the govern- 
ment. After considerable opposition, the bank was 
founded (1791) at Philadelphia. Provision was also 
made for a mint with the system of decimal currency 
which had been proposed by Jefferson. 

169. The Appointment of Bishop Carroll. — Until 1783 
the Catholic Church in America had been subject to 
the Vicar Apostolic of London. Steps were now taken 
to make the church in America a distinct body from 
that of England by the appointment of a Bishop. In 
1789 the first Episcopal See in America was erected in 
Baltimore, and Reverend John Carroll "^ was consecrated 

1 Daniel Webster, in recognition of Hamilton's great work in estab- 
lishing the national credit, said, " He touched the dead corpse of public 
credit and it sprang upon its feet." 

2 The Republicans, being largely Southerners, desired the capital to 
be built on the shores of the Potomac ; the Federalists desired it to be 
built on the Delaware. By the compromise, the Federalists agreed that 
Philadelphia should be the seat of government for ten years. After 
that period the permanent capital would be on the Potomac. The 
Republicans thereupon voted for the payment of the debts. 

^ In 1790 the first census of the people was taken. It showed a 
population of 3,929,827. 

* Most Reverend John Carroll was born in Maryland in 1735 and 
educated for the most part abroad. At the age of eighteen he entered 
the Society of Jesus. In 1773, on the suppression of the order, he went 



l88 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the first Bishop. He founded Georgetown College in 
1 79 1, which was transferred fourteen years later to the 
Society of Jesus. 

170. Admission of New States ; Battle of the Maumee. 
— Acts were passed by Congress, admitting to the 
Union the new states of Vermont (1791) and Kentucky 
(1792).^ Four years later Tennessee^ was admitted. 
The westward movement of the population aroused 
the enmity of the Indians, already incited by the 
English against us. Several expeditions were sent 
against them.'^ At length " Mad Anthony " Wayne 
of Stony Point fame met them at the Maumee river, 
near the present city of Toledo. The savages were so 

to England. At the outbreak of the Revolution he came to America to 
aid his native land in its struggle for freedom. He was a member of 
the embassy sent by Congress to Canada in 1776. In 1784 he was 
appointed Vicar Apostolic of the United States. Five years later he 
was consecrated Bishop, and in 1808 was named Archbishop with four 
suffragan dioceses : Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Bardstown 
(Kentucky). 

His saintly life and intense patriotism endeared him to the fathers 
of the republic, especially to Franklin and Washington, with whom he 
enjoyed an intimate friendship. Congress unanimously selected Bishop 
Carroll to deliver the panegyric on Washington (Feb. 22, iSoo). 

1 Vermont was formed from disputed territory. It was claimed 
under royal grants by both New York and New Hampshire. It was 
the first state to place in its constitution the prohibition of slavery 
within its borders. ^ 

Kentucky was formed from territory that belonged to Virginia. It 
had been settled by the famous hunter, Daniel Boone. 

2 Tennessee was formed from territory ceded by North Carolina. 

^ The first army under General Harmer was surprised and defeated. 
General St. Clair was then sent against the Indians. Heedless of 
Washington's advice to guard against a surprise, he was led into an 
ambush and his army destroyed (1791). 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 189 

completely defeated that they agreed to leave Ohio and 
settle further west. The victory opened the Northwest 
to peaceful settlement. 

171. Settlements on the Ohio ; Prince Galitzin. — A 
steady stream of pioneers now poured into the land 
from beyond the Alleghenies. Towns were at once 
founded along the Ohio, the earliest among them being 
Marietta (1788) and Cincinnati (1790).^ 

Only seven years after Wayne's treaty with the 
Indians, so great had been the flood of settlers, Ohio 
asked for admission to the Union. 

At this time a Russian nobleman. Prince Galitzin,^ 
was ordained to the priesthood and began his mission- 
ary labors in the wilds of Pennsylvania and Maryland. 
He founded (1799) the settlement of Loretto in western 
Pennsylvania and ministered throughout that unbroken 
country. 

172. The Whisky Rebellion. — The farmers in west- 
ern Pennsylvania resented the tax which had been 
placed on whisky and refused to pay it. They drove 
away the officers sent to collect the revenue and defied 
the government. Washington thereupon called out 
the militia, and fifteen thousand troops moved to the 

1 Cincinnati received its name from the society formed by the officers 
of the Revolution at the close of that war. Cincinnatus was a Roman 
noble who was called from the plow to serve his country and returned 
to the plow after the danger was over. 

2 Prince Galitzin was known on the missions as Father Smith. He 
was the only Catholic priest ever elected to Congress in this country. 
On Sept. 29, i8()9, a statue was erected to his memory at Loretto, 
Pennsylvania. 



IQO ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

scene of the riots. As soon as the troops appeared 
the rioters laid down their arms. The lesson of this 




Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin 

rebellion was a valuable one. The people everywhere 
saw that the acts of Congress must be obeyed. 

173. The Cotton Gin, 1793. — In the year 1793 Eli 
Whitney of Massachusetts, who was on a visit to the 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 191 

South, conceived the idea of a machine for separat- 
ing cotton and its seeds. It was, up to this time, a 
day's work for a man to clean four pounds of cotton. 
Hence cotton cloth was very expensive. Whitney's 
gin from the first enabled a man to clean fifty pounds 
in one day, and later improvements greatly increased 
its capacity. As a result of this invention cotton 
growing became at once one of the leading industries 
of the country, the exports reaching enormous figures 
within five years. ^ Immense cotton mills were erected 
in the North to weave cotton into cloth. This inven- 
tion had an unexpected result, however. It rendered 
slave labor very profitable and enlisted the sympathy of 
northern mill owners in maintaining the slave system 
in the South. It therefore not only helped to fasten 
slavery on the country, but prevented its peaceful 
abolition. 

174. <* Citizen ''Genet. — In 1789 the Revolution broke 
out in France. In 1793 the king and queen were 
beheaded, and war was declared with England. 

Edmond C. Genet,^ called ** Citizen " Genet, was sent 
as minister from France to secure the cooperation of 

1 In 1790 no cotton was exported from the United States. Whitney's 
cotton gin was introduced in 1793. The next year about one and a half 
millions of pounds were exported and in 1795 about five and a quarter 
millions; in 1S60 the quantity had reached two thousand millions of 
pounds. — Draper. 

To-day the export of cotton reaches the enormous amount of over 
three billions of pounds. The invention of the gin came at the very 
time when rice and indigo had fallen to so low a price that they scarcely 
repaid the expense of cultivation. 

2 Genet (Zhe-nay'). 



192 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the United States and to detach the Floridas and 
Louisiana from Spain. Genet arrived at Charleston, 
South CaroUna, in 1793. 

Without presenting himself to the government, he 
began to fit out privateers at once against English 
commerce. Washington believed the United States 
v^ras not in a position to interfere in European quar- 
rels, even if it wished to do so. He therefore issued 
a proclamation of neutrality. This enraged the Repub- 
licans. Believing that France had been our steadfast 
friend, while England had always been hostile to us, 
they called meetings to express their sympathy with 
France. Genet acted with great imprudence and 
endeavored to stir up the people against the govern- 
ment. His recall was therefore requested. 

175. Jay*s Treaty. — To make matters worse at this 
time, England not only refused to give up the western 
posts held by her soldiers, but seized our ships and 
carried off our seamen on the pretense that many 
British sailors were enlisted in our navy. To remedy 
this intolerable state of affairs, Washington sent John 
Jay to England to negotiate a treaty. By this treaty 
the king agreed to withdraw his troops from the posts 
they still occupied — Detroit, Oswego, Mackinaw, — 
to pay for damages to our ships, and., to allow us 
to trade with the British West Indies provided the 
United States would not export the tropical prod- 
ucts, molasses, sugar, coffee, cocoa, or cotton, to any 
part of the world. Jay consented to this clause, not 
realizing the future oi cotton in the United States. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 193 

The king refused, however, to give up the impressment 
of seamen. 

The treaty was most unpopular everywhere. Jay was 
hung in effigy. Washington was abused, and Hamilton 
was stoned while endeavoring to justify it. With the 
exception of the West India clause, however, it was 
ratified by the Senate (1795). Practically the only 
good result of the treaty was the postponement of war 
with England for twenty years, during which time our 
population doubled and we were better able to enforce 
our rights. 

176. Treaties with Spain and Algiers. — An important 
treaty was made in 1795 with Spain. The Mississippi 
was thereby opened to trade, and we were allowed to 
use New Orleans as a port of deposit for three years. 

The same year a treaty was signed with Algiers. 
To release the American seamen held as captives by 
these pirates, eighty thousand dollars were paid and 
an annual tribute of twenty-three thousand dollars was 
promised to the rulers of Algiers for the protection of 
American shipping. 

177. Washington's Farewell Address. — As his second 
term ^ of office was closing, Washington declined elec- 
tion for a third time and issued a farewell address. 
In this noble document he asked his fellow-citizens to 
hold aloof from permanent alliances with any portion 
of the foreign world, but to preserve *' harmony and a 
liberal intercourse with all nations." He warned the 
country against the dangers of party spirit and advised 

1 Washington had been reelected in 1792. 



194 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



respect for law, for the national credit, for public and 
private virtue, for religion and morality. " Of all the 
dispositions and habits," said Washington, " which lead 

to political pros- 
perity. Religion 
and Morality 
are indispen- 
sable supports." 
He left the 
presidency to 
return to his 
beautiful home 
at Mount Ver- 
non. On leav- 
ing the high 
office Washing- 
ton could in- 
deed look with 
pride on the ad- 
van ce of his 
country during 
the eight years of his administration. The Constitu- 
tion was firmly established ; the laws were well adminis- 
tered ; the public credit was secure ; the revenues were 
increasing daily, and we were extending ^ur commerce 
on all sides. 

On returning to private life Washington was hailed 
by all the people with the proudest title a patriot may 
enjoy, *' The Father of his Country." 




Washington and Lafayette at Mount Vernon 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 195 

SUMMARY 

In 1789 George Washington was inaugurated first President of 
the United States. He was reelected in 1792. 

The payment of the pubhc debt was provided for and our 
credit established at home and abroad. 

By a proclamation of neutrality Washington preserved the peace 
of the United States in the war between France and England. 

Three new states were added to the Union, and emigration 
began to the Ohio valley. 

A new treaty, made by John Jay with England, was confirmed 
by the Senate. 

Whitney invented the cotton gin, which revolutionized the cotton 
industry and fastened slavery on the country. 

John x^dams' Administration, i 797-1801 

178. Election of Adams ; Trouble with France ; X,Y, Z 
Papers. — The Federalists nominated John Adams for 
President ; the Republicans chose Thomas Jefferson. 
Adams received seventy-one votes and was elected 
President, while Jefferson had sixty-eight votes and was 
elected Vice President. ^ On March 4, 1797, Adams 
was inaugurated. 2 

1 As the Constitution then provided, the majonty of votes elected 
the President and the next greatest number of votes elected the Vice 
President. This provision has since been changed. 

- John Adams was of English descent and was born in Braintree, 
Massachusetts, Oct. 19, 1735. He was elected a member of the First 
and Second Continental Congresses and aided materially in the adop- 
tion of the Declaration of Independence by Congress. After our gov- 
ernment was established, he worked with great perseverance and success 
to secure the good will of Europe towards our new repul)Hc and was 
appointed minister to Great Britain. He died July 4, 1825, with the 
words, "Thomas Jefferson still survives." But he was mistaken, for 
that illustrious statesman had passed away a few hours before. 



196 ESSENTIALS OP^ AMERICAN HISTORY 

The Jay treaty had aroused the indignation of the 
French government, which sent its war vessels to cap- 
ture our merchantmen. It also refused to receive our 
minister, Charles C. Pinckney. To settle our diffi- 
culties. President Adams sent John Marshall and 
Elbridge Gerry to join Pinckney, who was still in 
France. 

The French government did not receive them, but 
envoys from Talleyrand, minister of foreign affairs, 
promised to stop these attacks on our shipping if the 
commissioners would, give fifty thousand dollars to 
each director, assist France with money, and disavow 
some expressions of President Adams towards the 
French government. 

This proposal was sent to Adams, who submitted 
it to Congress. Instead of the names of the agents, 
the letters X, Y, Z were used. Hence the documents 
were called the *' X, Y, Z " papers. 

This infamous proposal caused a burst of indigna- 
tion throughout the land, and we were on the brink 
of war with France. The immortal words of Pinckney 
were on every lip, '' Millions for defense but not one 
cent for tribute." 

179. Preparations for War. — In his message to Con- 
gress Adams said, " I will never send another min- 
ister to France without assurance that he will be 
received, respected, and honored as the representative 
of a great, free, peaceful, and independent nation." 
The treaties with France were suspended ; a pro- 
visional army was raised, and Washington was made 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 197 

commander in chief. A navy department was created, 
and our vessels, fitted out for war, sailed to the French 
West Indies to destroy French commerce. The Con- 
stellation, under Captain Truxtun, captured the French 
frigate Insnrgente. So vigorous a warfare did our little 
navy wage that the French Directory requested us to 
send another commission. Adams, anxious to avoid 
war, sent the commission which made a treaty with 
Napoleon in 1800. 

180. Alien and Sedition Laws ; Action of Virginia and 
Kentucky. — The Federalists, aided by the excitement 
of the times and by the feeling against France, passed 
two dangerous and unwise measures, — the Alien and 
Sedition Laws. By the Alien Law the President had 
for two years the power to expel any foreigner from 
the country. The Sedition Law provided that those 
who interfered with an act of Congress, or abused the 
President, Congress, or any member of the government, 
could be fined and imprisoned. This bill was to be 
in force for three years. The Republicans strongly 
denounced these bills, especially the Sedition Act. 
Jefferson wrote a series of resolutions which were 
adopted by the Kentucky legislature^ (1798), and 
Madison did the same for the Virginia legislature. 
These resolutions protested that the Alien and Sedi- 
tion Laws were unconstitutional, and that it was the 
duty of the states to interpose. In the Kentucky 
resolutions of 1799 nullification was declared to be 

1 Joseph Hopkinson wrote (1798) his patriotic song " Hail Columbia." 
It was sung for the first time in honor of President Adams in Philadelphia. 



198 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the rightful remedy. This doctrine was destined later 
to bear fruit and eventually to end in civil war. 

181. Death of Washington; the New Capital. — On 
Dec. 14, 1799, George Washington died, after a brief 
illness, at his home at Mount Vernon. The entire 
nation was bowed with grief at the death of him who 
had been ''first in war, first in peace and first in the 
hearts of his countrymen." 

Napoleon ordered all the flags of France to be draped 
in black for ten days. 

John Adams had been inaugurated in Philadelphia. 
During his administration the new capital on the banks 
of the Potomac was occupied by Congress (November, 
1800). To the territory was given the name District 
of Columbia. It was a tract of land ten miles square, 
given by Maryland and Virginia.^ The new city was 
named Washington, and was laid out on a spacious 
scale by a French engineer, Major I'Enfant. 

Washington himself when President had ''entered 
with unwonted ardor into the plans projected for devel- 
oping the new capital. Not only did he picture the city 
which bore his name as an instructor of the coming 
youth in lessons of lofty patriotism, but he prophesied 
for it national greatness." 

The corner stone of the Capitol was laid Sept. 18, 
1793. In October, 1800, the government offices were 
transferred from Philadelphia to Washington. ^ 

1 Virginia's share, which was south of the Potomac, was returned to 
her in 1846. 

2 A second census was taken this year (1800), which showed that the 
United States contained 5,305,937 inhabitants. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 199 

182. Election of Jefferson. — At the close of Adams' 
administration the Federalist party was rent by internal 
quarrels and weakened in the nation by the passage of 
the Alien and Sedition Laws. Hamilton, though a 
?"'ederalist, used all his great ability to defeat Adams 
for reelection. Thomas Jefferson was again nominated 
by the Republicans for President and Aaron Burr for 
Vice President. The vote, however, was a tie, Jeffer- 
son and Burr each receiving seventy-three votes. The 
House of Representatives then elected Jefferson by 
one vote over Burr, who became Vice President. 

This difficulty brought about a desire for a change 
in the method of electing a President. The Twelfth 
Amendment was passed (1804), and provided that the 
electors should cast a ballot for President and a separate 
ballot for Vice President. 

One of the crowning acts of Adams' administration 
was the appointment, Dec. 31, 1800, of John Marshall 
as chief justice of the Supreme Court. For thirty-four 
years he held this dignified office. - It is scarcely an 
exaggeration to call him, as an eminent American jurist 
had done, "a second maker of the Constitution." 

SUMMARY 

At the outset of Adams' administration trouble with France 
aroused the country. The X, Y, Z negotiations brought us to the 
verge of war with France. 

The Alien and Sedition Laws were passed and were generally 
condemned. 

Washinsrton died at his home at Mount Vernon. 

The capital was moved to the District of Columbia. 



200 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Jefferson's Administration, 1801-1809 

183. The Republican Party in Power. — On entering 
the presidential oflfice Jefferson^ showed a democratic 
rather than an aristocratic spirit. On the morning of 
his inauguration he walked to the Capitol surrounded 
by a few friends. He desired the cordial friendship 
of all the people. The dress of former days was largely 
changed ; he discarded to a great extent the wigs, short 
breeches, silk stockings, and buckled shoes ; his motto 
was, *' A vote for every man, whether he owns property 
or not." He represented the new ideas of the times 
and was deservedly popular. 

The Republicans began many reforms. They cut 
down the army and the navy, repealed many objection- 
able laws, and conducted the government on lines of 
the strictest economy, the entire expense being less 
than four million dollars a year. 

184. War on the African Pirates; Ohio admitted, 1802. 
— For many years the Barbary States on the north 
coast of Africa ■ — - Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli 
— -had made a trade of piracy. Practically all the 
nations of Europe paid them immense sums of money 
to leave their vessels alone. These pirates had given 

1 Thomas Jefferson was born at Shadwell, Virginia, April 12, 1743. 
He was of Welsh and English descent. With brillianf'intellectual gifts 
he quickly rose to a leading position in national affairs. He was the 
author of the Declaration of Independence and of our decimal system 
of coinage. He drafted the Religious Toleration Law of Virginia, and 
secured the abolition of the law of primogeniture, which gave all the 
landed property to the eldest son according to the English law. He 
died July 4, 1S26. 



THE TERIOD OF UNION 



201 



US a great deal of trouble by capturing our shipping 
and imprisoning our sailors. We had paid them a mil 
lion dollars in tribute to allow our vessels to sail the 
Mediterranean, but they constantly demanded more, 
until in 1801 the ruler of Tripoli declared war against 
us.^ In 1803 a fleet was sent against these pirates. So 
vigorously did our brave sailors wage the war that the 
ruler of Tripoli was glad to make peace with us in 180$. 



4^ 




Fort Washington (site of Cincinnati) 

In 1802 Ohio was admitted to the Union, the first 
state formed from the Northwest Territory. It had at 

1 The British government aided the pirates, and a Britisli subject, 
named Lisle, was admiral of the Tripolitan fleet when war was declared 
against us. On Oct. 31, 1803, while the frigate PhiladelpJiia of our 
squadron was chasing a pirate in the harbor of Tripoli, she ran aground 
and was captured with three hundred and fifteen men, including Com- 
mander Bainbridge. Not long afterwards Stephen Decatur, in a small 
boat, stole into the harbor, boarded the Philadelphia, set her on fire, 
and escaped without the loss of a man. Lord Nelson said of this feat, 
" It was the most bold and daring act of the age." 



202 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

this time only forty-five thousand inhabitants. To the 
settlement around Fort Washington was given the 
name of Cincinnati. 

185. The Louisiana Purchase, 1803. — The greatest 
event of Jefferson's administration was the purchase of 
Louisiana, the vast territory extending from the Missis- 
sippi river to the Rocky mountains, and from the gulf 
of Mexico to British America. 

In 1763 Spain received this territory from France 
and held it for thirty-seven years. In 1800 Spain 
ceded it back to France. As the great West relied 
upon the Mississippi to carry its products to the sea, 
Jefferson feared the establishment of a strong power 
like France at the mouth of the Mississippi. Speaking 
of New Orleans, he said, " There is one spot the pos- 
sessor of which is our natural and habitual enemy." 
Jefferson sent an envoy to France to buy New Orleans 
and that part of Louisiana east of the Mississippi.^ 
Napoleon had planned the reestablishment of a colonial 
domain for France ; but, having failed in recovering con- 
trol of the French colony of Santo Domingo, where the 
slaves had revolted, he lost his interest in this colonial 
project and sold Louisiana to the United States for 
fifteen millions of dollars. ^ The acquisition of Louisiana 

1 Jefferson had grave doubts as to his right under the Constitution 
to buy territory. He took advantage, however, of his doubts and was 
sustained by the country. 

2 Although Spain had ceded Louisiana to France in iSoo, it had 
never been actually given up, and the flag of Spain still floated over the 
territory. On Nov. 30, 1803, therefore, the Spanish representative 
delivered up the keys of New Orleans to the representative of France 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 203 

doubled our national domain. Napoleon said, on signing 
the treaty, " This accession of territory establishes for- 
ever the power of the United States and gives to England 
a maritime rival destined to humble her pride." ^ 

186. The Exploration of Lewis and Clark ; the Oregon 
Country. — As nothing was accurately known of this 
vast territory, Jefferson sent an expedition under Lewis 
and Clark to explore it. Leaving St. Louis (May 14, 
1804) with forty-five men, they pushed their boats up 
the Missouri halfway to its headwaters, where they were 
compelled to go into winter quarters for five months. 
In the spring (April, 1805) they resumed their journey 
up the river and after twenty days reached the Yellow- 
stone. Late in May they saw the snowy peaks of the 
Rocky mountains on the distant horizon. After endless 
toils they crossed the mountains and embarked on the 
Columbia. They reached the mouth of the Columbia 
(November, 1805) after a journey of four thousand miles 
and saw the beautiful Pacific stretching before them. 
On their return to St. Louis they published an account 
of their wonderful journey. 

Captain Robert Gray of Boston in his vessel the 
Columbia^ while trading with the Indians of the Pacific 

and from the balcony of the old Cabildo absolved the people from their 
allegiance to Spain. The Spanish flag was lowered and that of France 
raised. Twenty days later the French representative on the same spot 
delivered the keys to the American governor. The French tricolor was 
lowered as the stars and stripes rose slowly over our new possessions. 

1 From this territory have since been formed the states of Louisiana, 
Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South 
Dakota, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, a large part of the states of 
Minnesota and Colorado, and parts of Wyoming and Montana. 



204 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

coast (1792), had discovered the broad river to which 
he gave the name of his vessel, — the Columbia. He 
claimed all the country drained by its waters for the 
United States. This gave us our first title to Oregon. 
The expedition of Lewis and Clark gave us a second 
title. 

The report of this expedition stirred up the fur traders, 
and John Jacob Astor founded the Pacific Fur Company, 
with a line of trading posts extending from the Missouri 
to the Columbia. Near the mouth of the latter river 
Astoria was founded (18 11). This was a third title to 
the Oregon country.^ 

187. Death of Hamilton ; Aaron Burr. — The whole 
country was shocked at this time to hear that the Vice 
President, Aaron Burr, had killed Alexander Hamilton 
in a duel (July 1 1, 1804). The grief of the country at 
the loss of the brilliant statesman was shown everywhere 
by marks of profound sympathy. Burr's political career 
was ended; he formed a project for an attack on Mexico, 
and he may have intended to separate Louisiana from 
the United States. On his way to New Orleans he 
was arrested for treason. He was not, however, con- 
victed, and after a residence of some years in Europe he 
returned to New York, where he finished his life in 
obscurity. 

1 Zebulou M. Pike was also sent in 1806 with an expedition to 
explore the country of the great West. He discovered Pikes Peak, but 
suffered terrible hardships and finally fell into the hands of the Span- 
iards. He was taken as a prisoner to Santa Fe, but was later released 
and returned home through Mexico and Texas. Pike was killed in an 
attack on Toronto (April 22, 1813). 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 205 

188. War between France and England ; Right of 
Search. — War broke out in May, 1803, between Eng- 
land and France. By the Berlin and Milan decrees,^ 
Napoleon forbade the ships of any neutral nation to 
enter British ports. England in turn issued decrees, 
called ** Orders in Council," forbidding neutral vessels 
to enter the ports of France or of any nation in league 
with P^'ance. This exposed our shipping to capture by 
both nations. England went still further. Relying on 
her large navy, she maintained the right to stop and 
search American vessels and to take from them any 
sailors she decided to be P^nglishmen. Her outrages 
reached their climax when the British frigate Leopard 
fired, in 1807, upon the American frigate CJiesapcake 
and killed and wounded twenty men. The CJicsapeake, 
being unprepared for action, surrendered and the English 
took off four seamen, one of whom they hanged as a 
deserter.^ 

189. Embargo and Non-Intercourse. — Congress now 
passed an act forbidding American vessels to leave our 
shores for foreign ports.^ This was called an '' embargo " 
and was passed to stop trade with England and France. 
It was thought this would cause great distress in Europe 
and compel England and P^rance to respect our rights. 

1 They were so called from the cities from which they were issued, 

2 So great was the popular indignation at this outrage that Jefferson 
declared, " Never since the battle of Lexington have I seen this country 
in such a state of exasperation as at present." 

■^ Coasting vessels were required to give a bond that their cargoes 
would be landed in a United States port before they were allowed to 
leave the harbor. 



2o6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



The embargo was not successful. If it injured British 
commerce, it injured our own much more. It caused 
great suffering and was highly unpopular in the eastern 
states. The opposition to the embargo in New England 
was so great that prominent men in that section began 
to discuss secession from the Union. The law was 
repealed in 1809. The NonTntercourse Act was now 

passed. By this act all 
commerce with Great Brit- 
ain and France and their 
colonies was illegal. Com- 
merce was permitted, how- 
ever, with all countries 
not under France and Eng- 
land. There was at once 
"} an active trade opened with 
Spain and Portugal. 

An important result of 
these acts was to turn the 
attention of American 
merchants from commerce to manufacturing, a change 
destined to bring about wonderful results in our national 
position and wealth. 

190. The First Steamboat. — As early as 1785 John 
Fitch had built a steamboat in Philadelphia. In the 
spring of 1807 the Clermont, a paddle-wheel steamer of 
twenty tons, designed by Robert Fulton,^ was launched 

1 Robert Fulton was born in Pennsylvania in 1765, of Irish descent. 
Besides the steamboat he invented the torpedo and designed steam ferry- 
boats. He died in 1S15. 




Robert Fulton 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



207 



on the Hudson at New York. It was one hundred and 
thirty-three feet long and eighteen feet wide. It made 
a successful trip to Albany — one hundred and fifty 

miles — in thirty-two hours, 
the first long voyage ever 
made by a steamboat. This 
wonderful feat opened the 
way for steam navigation 
on our lakes and rivers. 
Three years later a boat 
was built at Pittsburg to 
run on the Ohio and the 
Mississippi, and in 181 8 
another was speeding over 
the waters of the Great 
Lakes. ^ 




191. Importation of Slaves forbidden ; Election of Madi- 
son. — The Constitution denied Congress the power to 

1 The Atlantic was first crossed by a steamship in 1819. It was 
the Sava7ina/i, of three hundred and eighty tons. She crossed from 
Savannah, Georgia, to Liverpool in twenty-five days. 



2o8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

prohibit the importation of slaves before 1808. Presi- 
dent Jefferson/ in a message to Congress, recommended 
the passage of a law prohibiting the importation of 
slaves. This law was enacted in 1808. Only five dis- 
senting votes were recorded in the Senate. Thus the 
first step toward abolishing slavery was taken. 

Although the legislatures of eight states invited Jeffer- 
son to accept the presidency for the third term,^ he 
refused, and James Madison was easily elected fourth 
President of the United States. George^ Clinton was 
elected Vice President. The Federalist candidate was 
Charles C. Pinckney. 

SUMMARY 

During Jefferson's presidency (i 801-1809) Louisiana was 
purchased from France. 

The expedition of Lewis and Clark explored the Louisiana 
territory and the great West to the Pacific. 

The pirates of northern Africa were punished and conquered. 

The first steamboat was operated by Robert Fulton. 

The P^mbargo and Non-Intercourse Acts were passed. 

The importation of slaves was forbidden. 

1 Jefferson believed in the gradual abolition of slavery. In 182 1 he 
wrote, " Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that 
these people are to be free." 

2 Jefferson had been easily reelected in 1804, receiving one hundred 
and sixty-two electoral votes, while Charles C. Pinckney, the Federalist 
candidate, received only fourteen. 

^ Charles Clinton was born in Longford, Ireland, where he chartered 
a ship and led a colony of seventy persons in 1729 to New York state. 
He had two sons, George and James. George Clinton became the 
first governor of New York, and later Vice President under Jefferson 
and again under Madison. James Clinton was the father of De Witt 
Clinton, the famous governor of New York who built the Erie canal. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 209 

James Madison's Administration,^ 1809-18 17 

192. Trouble with Great Britain and France. — The 

English maintained the principle, *' Once an English- 
man always an Englishman." The United States main- 
tained the principle, then novel but now generally 
accepted, that a man may change his allegiance and 
become a citizen of another country. To recruit her 
navy, therefore, England sent war ships up and down our 
coast, overhauling our vessels and taking off seamen 
whom she claimed to be her subjects. Most of these 
were probably English born, although frequently they 
were native American citizens. In eight years almost 
six thousand sailors had been taken from our vessels, and 
no less than nine hundred vessels searched. 

Great Britain and Erance were still at war with each 
other, and the NonTntercourse Act forbade trade with 
either of them. Soon after Madison's inauguration 
the British minister in Washington declared that Great 
Britain would withdraw her "Orders in Council." The 
Non-Intercourse Act was thereupon suspended. At 
once hundreds of vessels loaded with goods sailed to 
sea. The British government, however, did not approve 
of the acts of her minister and the Non-Intercourse Act 
again went into effect. In 18 10 Congress declared that 

1 James Madison was born in Virginia, March 16, 175 1. He was ad- 
mitted to the bar and later elected a member of the Continental Congress. 
Madison's state papers are among the ablest productions of American 
statesmanship. The first draft of the Constitution and the first ten 
amendments embodied his ideas, and hence he has been called " The 
Father of the Constitution." He died June 28, 1836. 



2IO ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



if either France or Great Britain would revoke the decrees 
against our shipping, the Non-Intercourse Act would be 
put in force against the country that would not revoke ; 
Napoleon announced immediately that he would recall 
the decrees, and Great Britain promised to do the same 
after Napoleon had acted. Neither France nor England 
did as they had promised, however, and our difficulties, 
especially with Great Britain, increased daily. 

193. The President and the Little Belt; Battle of 
Tippecanoe; Declaration of War. — In May, 1811, the 

Guerriere^ stopped an American 
vessel near New York harbor and 
took off an American sailor. The 
frigate President was sent at once 
in search of the Gueri'ih-e^ but met 
instead the British twenty-two-gun 
ship, Little Belt. 

The President at once opened fire 
and easily captured the British vessel. 

In the meantime the Indians in the Northwest, incited 
by the English, had taken to the warpath against the 
American settlers. The Shawnee chief, Tecumseh, had 
united in a strong confederacy many of the tribes and 
had ravaged the frontiers. General Harrison, the gov- 
ernor of Indiana Territory, was sent against them. The 
Indians attempted to overwhelm him by a night attack, 
but he defeated them (Nov. 7, 181 1) with great slaughter 
at Tippecanoe in western Indiana. Tecumseh fled to 
the English army. 

1 Guerriere (Ghe-ree-air') means " warrior." 




THE PERIOD OF UNION 



21 I 



Affairs had now reached the point where war was 
inevitable/ and on June 1 8, 1 8 1 2, hostiHties were declared 
against Great Britain.^ 

194. Hull's Surrender ; Battle of Queenston Heights. 
— The objective point in the campaign was the capture 
of Canada.^ Three armies were raised for this purpose : 







Defiance, 



O H 



SCALE OF MILES 



the first one, under Hull, was to march from Detroit ; the 
second, under Van Rensselaer, was to cross the Niagara 
river and take Queenston ; the third, under Dearborn, 

1 So bitter was the feeling against England that in some of the states 
(New Jersey, Kentucky, Pennsylvania) it was forbidden by law to quote 
in any of the courts any decision of an English judge delivered after 
the Declaration of Independence. 

2 The vote on the war in the House of Representatives was seventy- 
nine to forty-nine. The Eastern and Middle States, with two exceptions, 
were against the war, and the Southern and Western States were in favor 
of it. 

3 It was thought the Canadians would throw off their allegiance to 
England and join the United States. In this our statesmen were sorely 
disappointed. 



212 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

was to unite with the other two and capture Montreal 
and Quebec. 

The plan was a signal failure. General Hull set out 
from Urbana, Ohio, on his arduous march through the 
unbroken forests to Detroit. When he reached there 
he learned that Mackinaw had fallen into the hands of 
the British. 

He took his position at Detroit, where he was besieged 
by the British under General Brock and the Indians 
under Tecumseh. Hull was summoned to surrender. 

Anxious, as he declared, to save the women and chil- 
dren from the scalping knives of the Indians, he did so 
without firing a gun.^ Thus, not only Detroit but all 
of Michigan Territory passed to the British. 

The second army, under General Van Rensselaer, 
crossed the Niagara river and attacking the British 
at Queenston Heights (Oct. 13, 18 12) drove them from 
their position. General Brock was killed. The Ameri- 
can general, however, failed to receive reenforcements 
because the New York militia refused to leave that 
state, and his army was surrounded and captured. 

195. The War on the Sea ; the Constitution and the 
Guerriere; Other Naval Battles. — Though the army had 
completely failed in its plan to invade Canada, our little 
navy upheld gloriously the flag of the republic. In 1 8 1 2 
we had only seventeen seagoing vessels, carrying four 
hundred and forty-two guns and about five thousand 

1 Hull was tried for cowardice by court-martial and sentenced to be 
shot, but the President pardoned him for his distinguished services 
during the War of the Revolution. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 213 

men. England, "the mistress of the seas," at the same 
time had one thousand and forty-eight ships, carrying 
twenty-seven thousand eight hundred guns and one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand men. On the American coast 
alone England had one hundred and seven ships. 

Despite such odds, our brave sailors went forth to 
victory. On Aug. 19, 181 2, the Constitution, under 
Captain Hull, nephew of General Hull, met the British 
frigate Guciricrc off the coast of Nova Scotia.^ In an 
engagement lasting less than an hour the Gucrria'-e was 
destroyed, her men being taken prisoners and carried to 
Boston. There the citizens feasted Captain Hull and 
his brave sailors in Faneuil Hall. From that time the 
Constitntiofi was known as Old Ironsides. It has been 
said of this victory that *'it raised the United States 
in one half hour to the rank of a first-class power." 

During this year the British frigate Macedonian was 
captured by one of our vessels, the United States ; the 
Frolic was captured by the Wasp in a Hatteras gale 
off the coast of North Carolina, but scarcely was the 
battle over when a British man-of-war hove in sight and 
captured the Wasp and her prize. ^ 

196. The Chesapeake and the Shannon ; the Privateers. 
— The British ship Shan?ion, learning that the American 

1 On seeing the Constitution, Captain Dacres of the Gnerriere said 
to his crew : " There is a Yankee frigate ; in forty-five minutes she is 
certainly ours. Take her in fifteen and I promise you four months' 
pay." 

2 At the end of his first term Madison was reelected with one hun- 
dred and twenty-eight electoral votes. De Witt Clinton of New A'ork, 
his opponent, received eighty-nine electoral votes. 



214 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

frigate Chesapeake was in Boston harbor, sent a chal- 
lenge to her to come out and fight. The challenge was 
accepted, and the Chesapeake under Captain Lawrence 
sailed to meet the Shannon (June i, 1813). 

The contest lasted only fifteen minutes and resulted 
in a complete victory for the English vessel. The Chesa- 
peake was towed to Halifax. Lawrence died in the 
action. He was buried with military honors in Halifax, 
and later in Trinity churchyard in New York City.^ 

Privateers were commissioned by the President to prey 
on English commerce. In seven months over three hun- 
dred British vessels were captured. During the entire 
war over seventeen hundred ships were taken by our 
privateers. 

197. Raisin River Massacre ; Fort Meigs. — In the new 
plans for the invasion of Canada the army was organized 
in three divisions. It was intended that the first should 
retake Michigan Territory ; the second, the Niagara dis- 
trict ; the third, the lake Champlain valley. All three 
divisions were then to invade Canada. General Harri- 
son, in charge of the western division, moved northward 
towards Detroit. A part of his forces under Winchester 
was defeated on the Raisin river (near the present site cf 
the city of Monroe, Michigan) by the British and Indians. 
The British general. Proctor, did not adequately protect 
the American prisoners from the Indians, and some 

1 On his monument are these words : " Neither the fury of battle, 
the anguish of a mortal wound, nor the horrors of approaching death 
could subdue his gallant spirit. His dying words were, ' Don't give up 
the ship.'" 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



215 



thirty of them were massacred. Henceforth the war cry 
of the Americans was, " Remember the river Raisin." 

In the spring of 18 13 Proctor, with the aid of Tecum- 
seh, besieged General Harrison at Fort Meigs on the 
Maumee river. Two attacks were made without suc- 
cess; thereupon the British turned and attacked Fort 
Stephenson on the lower 
Sandusky. This fort 
was defended by one 
hundred and sixty men 
with a single six-pound 
gun. A young Kentuck- 
ian, twenty-one years 
old, Major Croghan,i was 
in command. The at- 
tack was an utter failure, 
and the enemy retreated. 
Michigan, however, was 
still in the hands of the 
British. These reverses led the Indians to lose faith in 
British prowess, and many promptly deserted. 

198. Battle of Lake Erie. — Our little navy which had 
won so many victories at sea now achieved a most signal 
triumph on lake Erie. 

On Sept. 10, 1 81 3, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry ^' 
with nine vessels, half of them built on the lake shore, 

^ Croghan was asked to surrender and thereby escape massacre at 
the hands of the Indians. His answer was, " The fort will be given up 
when there is not a man alive to defend it." 

2 Perry was born in Rhode Island of American and Irish parentage, 
his father having been born in America and his mother in Ireland. 




Oliver Hazard Perry 



2l6 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



attacked the British fleet. Perry's ship, the Lawrence} 
was quickly riddled. Leaving her in a sinking condi- 
tion, Perry transferred his flag amid a shower of bullets 
to the Niagara. The battle was a complete defeat for 
the British. Perry sent to General Harrison this mes- 
sage : " We have met the enemy and they are ours : two 
ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop." As we 
now controlled lake Erie the British were compelled to 
abandon Detroit, and the territory surrendered by Hull 

was recovered. 

199. Battle with the 
Creeks ; Harrison's Vic- 
tory on the Thames. — 
The Creek Indians in 
the South now went on 
the warpath. They had 
been aroused by Tecum- 
seh and supplied with 
arms by British agents. 
" ^'^ ^'^ Fort Mimms, forty miles 

from Mobile, was attacked and all its occupants, five 
hundred men, women, and children, massacred. With 
troops from Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee, General 
Andrew Jackson marched against them. He attacked 
(March 27, 18 14) the Indians at Horseshoe Bend, or 

His brother was Commodore M. C. Perry, who induced the Japanese to 
open their ports to our commerce. For the victory of lake Erie 
Perry was made a captain and was voted a gold medal by Congress. 

1 Perry's vessel was named Lawrence after the hero of the Chesa- 
peake. Over his vessel floated a flag with the words, " Don't give up 
the ship." 







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^^\±Ft.MalJen / 

^Battle./ LAKE 
Lake Lrie e^ 

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V^^svT 






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/Ft^i-'P^icnson 


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SCALE OF MILES 



I 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



217 




SCALE OF MILES 



Tohopeka, on a branch of the Alabama river. The 
Indians were completely defeated and their power 
broken. Many fled into 
Spanish territory, and the 
United States took posses- 
sion of their lands. 

General Harrison took 
advantage of Perry's vic- 
tory to invade Canada. On 
the banks of the Thames 
(Oct. 5, 181 3) he routed 
the English forces under 
Proctor and Tecumseh. 
The latter was killed, and Proctor escaped by flight. 
By these victories of Perry and Harrison we controlled 

lake Erie, Michigan, and 
upper Canada. Ohio was freed 
from the danger of invasion, 
and the Indian confederacy 
was destroyed. 

200. Battle of Lake Cham- 
plain. — The American army 
under General Brown crossed 
the Niagara river, captured 
Fort P>ie, and defeated the 
English at Chippewa (July 5, 
1 8 1 4) . Three weeks later the 
Americans attacked the strong position of the British 
at Lundys Lane (July 25) within sound of Niagara 
falls and carried the works. Three times the British 




2l8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

tried to retake the batteries, but were driven back with 
great loss. 

The British now planned an expedition down lake 
Champlain, following the route of Burgoyne. Sir George 
Provost with a land force of fourteen thousand men 
marched southward to Plattsburg, while a naval force 
of seventeen vessels sailed down the lake. The British 
fleet, sweeping proudly around Cumberland Head, met 
(Sept. II, 1 8 14) the American squadron of fourteen 
vessels under Commodore McDonough. 

The fight lasted two and one-half hours, when the 
whole British fleet surrendered. In the meantime the 
British land forces met General Macomb, who had taken 
a position on the banks of the Saranac. The British 
tried in vain to cross, the fire of the Americans sweep- 
ing their ranks at every point. At last, hearing of the 
disaster to the fleet, they retreated in such haste that 
the sick and wounded as well as large military stores 
were left in the hands of the Americans. 

201. The Burning of V/ashington ; Battle of New 
Orleans, Jan. 8, 1815. — In the meantime, in retalia- 
tion for a raid into Canada during which private prop- 
erty was destroyed. Vice Admiral Cochrane gave orders 
to destroy and lay waste the coast towns. On Aug. 24, 
1 8 14, General Ross entered Washington and burned the 
Capitol and other public buildings. He next marched 
to Baltimore, while his fleet sailed up the bay and bom- 
barded Fort Mc Henry, that guarded the approaches to 
that city. For twenty-five hours shot and shell rained 
on the fort in vain. At the end of the bombardment 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



219 



''the flag was still there." ^ The land forces attacked 
the city, but were repulsed. Ross was killed and the 
British retreated. 

The English now gathered a large force under Sir 
Edward Pakenham, a brother-in-law of Wellington, to 










- ii.( 






General Andrew Jackson at Battle of New Orleans 



attack New Orleans and secure control of the Mississippi 
and to offer the inhabitants the opportunity of resuming 
their dependence upon Spain. General Andrew Jackson 

1 Francis Scott Key was detained that night on one of the British 
ships whither he had gone to secure the release of some prisoners. By 
the flash of the guns, while watching eagerly the flag still flying over 
Fort McHenry, he wrote our national hymn, " The Star Spangled 
Banner." 



220 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

marched to meet them. The EngHsh to the number of 
twelve thousand were trained soldiers, many of them 
having fought against Napoleon. Jackson had six thou- 
sand men behind breastworks, mostly undisciplined 
troops but superb marksmen. The British moved forward 
Jan. 8, 1 815, The deadly fire of the Americans broke 
their ranks. . Forming a second time, they advanced; 
but the Americans sent their bullets with fatal accu- 
racy. Pakenham fell mortally wounded, and the British 
retreated thoroughly defeated, with a loss of two thou- 
sand six hundred men. Only eight Americans were 
killed and six wounded. 

202. The Treaty of Peace ; Results of the War. — The 
treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United 
States had been signed at Ghent, in Belgium (Dec. 24, 
1 814), but the news of this action did not reach the 
United States until after the battle of New Orleans, 
as the telegraph did not exist at this time and the news 
was brought in sailing vessels. In the peace treaty 
nothing was said about the matters that caused the war. 
The impressment of our sailors was not mentioned, and 
England did not bind herself to give up the right of 
search. Our naval victories, however, had rendered that 
l^roceeding so dangerous that for the future our ships 
were not molested. 

While the war cost two hundred millions of dollars 
and the lives of thirty thousand men, it produced bene- 
ficial results. 

Europe learned that we were well able to take care 
of ourselves, and our ships and sailors could hereafter 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 22 1 

cross the seas in peace. Another effect of the war was 
the development of manufactures. The war tariff, the 
embargo, the non-intercourse laws, and the high price 
of freights had turned the capitalists from commerce to 
manufactures, which had increased to a wonderful extent, 
especially in cotton goods. ^ Francis C. Lowell in 1814 
introduced the English power loom into America and 
established at Waltham, Massachusetts, a cotton mill. 
Other large factories were built at Lowell, Lawrence, 
and Fall River. To protect these industries from 
English competition at the close of the war, a duty 
of twenty-five per cent was laid on cotton and woolen 
goods imported from abroad, and the protective system 
was thereby established.^ 

During the war the necessity for better communica- 
tion by means of good roads and canals between the 
sections of the country was plainly seen. This need 
led to a renewed demand for "internal improvements," 
with money to be raised from increased tariff rates, and 
further developed the growing protective system. 

The War of 1 8 1 2 has been called the " Second War 
of Independence." We were at last becoming inde- 
pendent of Europe, not only in political ideas and 
theories but also in our industrial life. 

1 There were only four cotton factories in the United States in 1S03. 
In 181 5 there were no less than five hundred thousand spindles in 
operation, while the consumption of cotton had risen from five hundred 
bales in 1800 to ninety thousand bales in 1S15. 

2 This was the tariff of 181 6, practically the first of our protective 
tariffs. It was bitterly opposed by Daniel Webster, who felt that it 
imperiled the commercial interests of New England. 



222 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

203. The Hartford Convention. — While the war was 
in progress it had been violently opposed by many of 
the New England Federalists. Under the influence of 
these men the legislature of Massachusetts invited the 
states of New England to send delegates to a convention. 
Twenty-six delegates met at Hartford (1814). 

The meetings were secret, and it was believed,that the 
delegates were plotting a disruption of the Union. In 
the end the convention merely suggested amendments 
to the Constitution, designed to diminish the influence 
of the South in national politics and to make the sus- 
pension of foreign commerce or the declaration of war 
by Congress more difficult. 

The bitterest feeling was aroused throughout the 
country against the Federalists. Nothing resulted from 
the convention, as peace soon followed, but it brought 
about the ruin of the Federalist party. 

Louisiana (181 2) and Indiana (18 16) were admitted 
to the Union during this administration. 

SUMMARY 

The second war with Great Britain began in 181 2 and ended 
in 181 5. It was caused by the impressment of our seamen and 
the violation of our rights of commerce as neutrals by Great 
Britain. 

Our national hymn, " The Star Spangled Bannef," was written 
during this war. 

The Hartford Convention aroused great indignation and ruined 
the Federalist party. 

Louisiana (181 2) and Indiana (18 16) were admitted to the 
Union. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



223 



James Monroe's Administration/ 18 17-1825 

204. Era of Good Feeling ; the Cession of Florida. — 

James Monroe, the fifth President, ushered in the "era 
of good feehng." The country was entering on a period 
of peace and prosperity. FCoads were built, canals were 
dug, the great lands 
of the West began 
to attract numerous 
settlers. In 181 7 
Monroe vi sited 
New England and 
many of the north- 
ern states. His 
journey was a tri- 
umphal progress 
and was of the 
greatest benefit in 
breaking down sec- 
tional lines and 
uniting the 
country. 

At this time 




James Monroe 



Spain owned Florida. There were very few settlements, 
and the Indians, runaway slaves, and outlaws who 
roamed through the land caused endless trouble for the 

1 James Monroe was born in Virginia of vScotch descent, April 28, 
1758. He was United vStates senator (1790), minister plenipotentiary 
to France (1794), and governor of Virginia (1799-1802). lie defeated 
Rufus King for the presidency. Daniel U. Tompkins was elected Vice 
President. 



224 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

neighboring states. In 1817 Andrew Jackson took 
command of the forces of the United States. Acting 
with his usual vigor,' he seized a number of Spanish 
forts and towns, hanged two British traders who were 
accused of furnishing arms to the Indians, and in three 
months had the country virtually under his control. His 
actions threatened to cause us trouble with Spain and 
England. Fortunately Spain was induced to sell Florida 
for the amount we offered — five millions of dollars. 

Sixty thousand square miles were added to our domain 
by this cession. 

205. The Question of Slavery. — Slavery existed in 
all the thirteen colonies which belonged to Great Britain. 
At the adoption of the Constitution, Massachusetts and 
New Hampshire were the only states in which slavery 
did not exist. It was, however, gradually abolished in 
the northern states. By the ordinance of 1787 slavery 
was prohibited in the Northwest Territory, and in 
consequence the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, 
which had been formed from the Northwest Territory, 
were admitted as free states. During this time Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana 
had been admitted as slave states. In 1820, therefore, 
there were in the Union eleven slave states and eleven 
free states, giving to each section exactly the same 
power in the national Senate. In the House of Rep- 
resentatives, however, the free states, because of their 
rapidly increasing population, were obtaining the mas- 
tery. The slave states, therefore, resolved to hold 
their power in the Senate by refusing to admit a free 



THE PKRIOD OF UNION 225 

state unless a slave state was admitted at the same 
time. 

Up to this period the new states had, except Louisi- 
ana, been established in territory entirely east of the 
Mississippi. The large emigration, however, had now 
crossed that river, and the settlers asked the admission 
of this new section as the state of Missouri. 

206. The Missouri Compromise. — - This request brought 
on a crisis. Should Missouri be admitted as a free or 
slave state "^ Upon the decision of that question prac- 
tically depended the fate of slavery and freedom in 
the entire Louisiana Purchase. Other questions were 
involved in this problem. The South, in raising tobacco, 
cotton, and rice, felt the necessity of slavery to secure 
cheap labor. It also desired to buy its goods where 
they cost least ; in other words, they desired free trade 
with Europe. The North, in consequence of the War 
of 181 2, had given up the carrying trade to some extent, 
had established manufactories, and desired a tariff placed 
on foreign goods. This would largely prevent their 
importation and would build up home industries. 

There was thus a conflict of interests between the 
North and the South. In the North, too, gradual 
emancipation was rapidly bringing about the extinction 
of slavery, and the disposition to prevent its introduc- 
tion into new territory was growing. Most of Missouri 
is north of the lower Ohio river, which was the bound- 
ary between the slave and free states. As the prohi- 
bition of sjavery in Missouri would give the free states 
a majority in the Senate, and would be a discrimination 



226 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

against the right to hold slaves, the South vigorously 
opposed any such restriction. At this critical point a 
compromise was proposed. It was suggested that Mis- 
souri should be admitted as a slave state and Maine ^ as 
a free state, thus maintaining the equality of power in 
the Senate ; also that slavery should be prohibited in all 
the rest of Louisiana north of 36° 30'. This plan, 
known as the *' Missouri Compromise," was accepted 
(Aug. 10, 1 821), and the question of slavery was settled 
for nearly twenty- five years. 

207. The Monroe Doctrine. — Spain had lost as the 
result of revolutions her continental colonies in the 
New World. ^ They had become independent republics. 
In 18 1 5 the sovereigns of Russia, Prussia, France, and 
Austria formed a union, called the '' Holy Alliance," to 
uphold ''religion, peace, and justice." In 1822 this 
was supplemented by a secret treaty, by which they 
agreed to act together to put an end to representative 
institutions in Europe and to suppress the liberty of 
the press. In 1823 they intervened to restore absolute 
rule in Spain and planned to recover the revolted colo- 
nies for the Spanish king, and it is likely that France 
and Russia expected to secure Mexico and California 
for themselves. We had at this very period a question 
to settle with Russia on the Pacific seaboard, for she 

1 Maine had been a part of Massachusetts since 1671. With the 
consent of the latter state, she now applied for admission to the Union 
as a state. 

2 Mexico, Columbia, Buenos Ayres, Peru, and Chili were the col- 
onies that had successfully rebelled and were acknowledged as inde- 
pendent republics by the United States in 1822. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 227 

claimed that coast from Bering sea to the 5 ist parallel.^ 
If her claims were good, we should be shut out entirely 
from the Pacific coast. 

At this juncture Monroe declared in his message to 
Congress in 1823 "that the American continents . . . 
are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for 
future colonization by any European powers." This was 
aimed at Russia. Referring to the Holy Alliance, he 
further declared '' that we should consider any attempt 
on their part to extend their system to any portion of 
this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety," 
and that any hostile interference with the South Ameri- 
can republics would not be regarded '' m any other light 
than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition 
toward the United States." 

This message, reenforced by the opposition of Eng- 
land to intervention in South America, produced the 
desired effect, and the republics of Mexico and of South 
America were allowed to work out their own destiny. 
In the following year Russia made a treaty with us, 
abandoning all her claims to the Pacific coast south 
of 54° 40', which is the southern limit of Alaska. 

208. Reelection of Monroe ; Visit of Lafayette. — At 
the end of his first term President Monroe was reelected 
without opposition, receiving the electoral vote of every 
state. One New Hampshire elector voted for Adams 
on the ground that he did not wish any President to 

1 Two years previous to this time the czar of Russia had forbidden 
foreigners to come nearer than one hundred miles of the Pacific coast, 
north of 51°. 



228 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

enjoy the honor, which had been paid to Washington, 
of receiving a unanimous election. 

In 1 824 Lafayette arrived as the guest of the nation, 
to visit once more the land for which he had fought so 
valiantly. He was received everywhere with the cor- 
diality his bravery and generosity merited. At Bunker 
Hill, exactly fifty years after the battle, he laid the cor- 
ner stone of the monument which marks that glorious 
height. Congress voted him two hundred thousand 
dollars and twenty-four thousand acres of land. He 
visited Mount Vernon to pay his affectionate respects 
to the ashes of his beloved friend Washington. 

209. Emigration to the West. — The West was now 
attracting the attention of the nation, and over the 
mountains poured a stream of settlers. Steamboats 
began to ply on the large rivers. Towns were built 
on the banks and forests cleared away for farms and 
plantations. This movement was aided by the influx of 
settlers from Europe. In the desire to render easier 
the communication between the East and the West, a 
highway was begun, stretching from Maryland west- 
ward. It was called the Cumberland or National Road. 



SUMMARY 

The chief events of Monroe's administration were : 

1. The purchase of Florida. 

2. The slavery debate and Missouri Compromise. 

3. The Monroe Doctrine and settlement of dispute witli Russia 
concerning the northwestern boundary. 

4. The emigration to the West. 
q. The visit of Lafayette. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 229 

John Quincy Adams' Administration, 1835-1829 

210. The Election of Adams ; the Tariff Question. — 

At the close of Monroe's administration Adams, Jack- 
son, Crawford, and Clay were the candidates for the 
presidency. No one received a majority of the electoral 
votes,^ and the House of Representatives elected John 
Quincy Adams of Massachusetts.^ John C. Calhoun was 
elected Vice President with practically no opposition. 

The question of the tariff became one of the leading 
problems of Adams' administration. The advocates 
of protection believed that the tariff should be placed 
so high that foreign goods could not compete with 
domestic manufactures. 

1 Jackson received ninety-nine votes, Adams eighty-four, Crawford 
forty-one, and Clay thirty-seven. As the House of Representatives, 
voting by states, was compelled under the Constitution (Twelfth 
Amendment) to choose from the three highest candidates, Clay could 
not be voted for. He used his influence, however, for Adams, who 
was elected. 

2 John Quincy Adams, the son of President John Adams, was born in 
Braintree, Massachusetts, July 11, 1767. He served the country abroad 
as minister to Holland (1794) and Germany (1797). He was elected 
United States senator by the Massachusetts Federalists (1803) and six 
years later was sent to Russia as minister. In 18 14 he was one of the 
commissioners who signed the treaty of peace with Great Britain at 
Ghent. He was appointed minister to England (18 15) and Secretary 
of State under Monroe (1S17). After his presidential term had 
expired Adams was elected as an independent to the House of Repre- 
sentatives, where he was an earnest defender of the right of petition, 
and was a strenuous opponent of slavery and secret societies, earning 
the title of " Old Man Eloquent." 

He was stricken in his seat with apoplexy (Feb. 21, 184S) and died 
two days later. His last words were: " This is the last of earth. I am 
content." 



230 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

This, they claimed, would keep our mills and factories 
running at full speed, would maintain a high rate of 
wages, and would make the country prosperous and 
independent of foreign markets. 

In opposition to this view were those who believed in 
"free trade," — that one should be allowed to buy his 
goods where he could get them cheapest. Another 
class believed in a "tariff for revenue only," — that a 
tariff should be levied only to raise money to carry on 
the government, and should not have for its principal 
object the protection of any industry. In 1816 a pro- 
tective tariff had been levied, and the great struggle was 
begun between the friends and opponents of protection 
that continues until the present day. 

In 1824 a still higher tariff was levied. Henry Clay 
was an earnest advocate of high protection, which he 
called the ''American policy." The South, however, was 
gradually changing its earlier ^ ideas and was now opposed 
to a protective tariff, while the North was strongly in 
favor of it. The South, being an agricultural section, 
had no factories and believed that the high tariff dimin- 
ished foreign trade, and consequently the market for 
cotton in Europe, and also compelled them to pay higher 
prices for the goods they bought. 

The North maintained that a protective tariff estab- 
lished a home market where cotton would bring a higher 

1 In 181 6, while John C. Calhoun favored a protective tariff to 
encourage domestic industry, Daniel Webster opposed the tariff as 
hostile to the shipping interests of his state of Massachusetts. In 
1828 the positions of these statesmen were exactly reversed, Webster 
advocating protection and Calhoun opposing it. 



i 




HENRY CLAY 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



231 



price. Believing the tariff of 1824 did not give them 
sufficient protection, a bill was introduced by the high- 
tariff advocates, raising still higher the duties on 
imported goods. This bill was passed (1828) and was 
signed by President Adams.^ 

211. The Erie Canal; Steam Railroads. — The year 
1825 witnessed the opening of the Erie canal by 




Erie Canal 



De Witt Clinton, governor of New York. This canai 
was begun July 4, 181 7, and its successful completion 
was due to the energy and determination of Clinton, 
who despite ridicule and discouragements kept to 
the work. The canal, three hundred and sixty-three 
miles in length, extended from Albany to Buffalo. 
It was a stupendous undertaking. It traversed for- 
ests, crossed rivers, and by means of locks overcame 
the differences of level, revolutionized the carrying 

^ This has been called the "Tariff of Abominations," " a result," says 
Professor Sumner, "of the scramble of selfish, special interests." 



232 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

trade, 1 reducing the price of transportation of a ton of 

goods from one hundred and 
twenty to fourteen dollars. 

The vast fertile tracts that 
were of little value because of 
their distance from markets 
became at once attractive to 
settlers, and they flocked in 
from all sides. The building 
of the canal made New York City, which had been 
second in population and third in commerce, the first 

city in the country. 
To prevent New 
York from securing 
all the traffic to the 
West, Pennsylvania 




Stagecoach 







Early Tramway 







built a chain of 

canals and roads 

from Philadelphia 

to Pittsburg. Balti- First Steam Railroad 

more also took up 

the work, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton turned 



1 At the opening of the canal the boat carried a load of thirty tons ; 
at the present time they carry as high as two hundred and fifty tons. 
Over four hundred millions of dollars have been received by the state 
from freight passing through the canal. At the present day, however, 
most freight is carried by rail. 




THE PERIOD OF UNION 233 

(July 4, 1828)^ the first spadeful of earth of the Baltimore 
and Ohio Railroad, which was to extend at that time from 
Baltimore to Ellicott City, about thirteen miles distant. 
This was the first passenger railway in the United States. 
The cars were at first drawn by horses. The first steam 
locomotive built in America 

was probably designed by |(S^i»i~^S^'^-S'^l' 
Peter Cooper. ^ „,^^^^»tPI»L%^ 

Railroads were soon built f '^'/M/W'"^ 
from Albany to Schenectady '^^^^~ 

in the Mohawk valley, and ^ 

Modern Express Train 

from Charleston to Ham- 
burg in South Carolina. At the end of 1830 the extent 
of railways in operation was twenty-three miles ; in 1840 
it had risen to two thousand eight hundred and eighteen 
miles. At the present time there are about two hundred 
thousand miles of railway in the United States. 

At the close of Adams' administration Andrew Jack- 
son was triumphantly elected President of the United 
States, receiving one hundred and seventy-eight electoral 
votes to eighty-three for John Quincy Adams. John 
C. Calhoun was reelected Vice President. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of John Quincy Adams' administration were : 

1 . The tariff discussion. 

2. The opening of the Erie canal. 

3. The building of the first passenger railway in America. 

1 Charles Carroll remarked on this occasion : " I consider this among 
the most important acts of my life, second only to that of signing the 
Declaration of Independence, if second to that." 



234 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Andrew Jackson's Administration/ i 829-1837 

212. His Strong Personality ; Removals from Office. — 

The election of Andrew Jackson showed a marked 
change in the poHtical thought of the country and fore- 
shadowed the leading part which the young and growing 
West was destined to play in national affairs. 

Unlike his predecessors, Jackson had had no early 
advantages. From Washington to John Ouincy Adams 
the presidents had been well educated, while many of them 
had ample fortunes. Jackson's early education had been 
brief ; his success had been obtained only by the most 
strenuous efforts. His triumph at New Orleans, his 
victories in the Seminole War, and his rugged, sterling, 
honest character had endeared him to the people. They 
felt he had come from among themselves. He was 
especially beloved in the new West, and in his case a 
western man was for the first time elected President. 

Jackson began his administration by removing many 
office-holders. He believed that the continuance in office 
of the same persons, year after year, would create an 
office-holding class. At the same time some office- 
holders had not only opposed him but had been guilty 
of partisanship in their official positions. 

1 Andrew Jackson was born of Irish descent, March 15, 1767, in 
South Carolina. His early life was spent in the direst poverty. At the 
age of thirteen he was in the army fighting Great Britain. He studied 
law and later moved to Tennessee. In 1796 he was elected to Congress. 
He soon resigned and was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of 
his native state. In the War of 181 2 he became famous throughout 
the land, and " Old Hickory," as he was called, reached the presidency 
in 1828, and was reelected in 1832. He died June 8, 1845. 




JOHN C. CALHOUN 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



235 



To turn out his foes and reward his friends seemed to 
him a laudable action, and he removed about two thou- 
sand persons during the first year of his presidency. 
Only one hundred and sixty had been removed during all 
previous administrations. 
This pernicious system has 
been followed ever since, 
although within recent 
years a great improvement 
has been made through the 
Civil Service Law. It is 
called the ''Spoils Sys- 
tem " ^ from a speech in 
the United States Senate 
by Marcy, in which he de- 
clared that he could "see 
nothing wrong in the rule, 
that to the victor belono^ . , , , 

^ Andrew Jackson 

the spoils of the enemy." 

213. Nullification; Webster and Hayne. — The tariff 
acts of 1824 and 1828 aroused the South and brought 
to the front, through John C. Calhoun and other South 
Carolinians, the idea of nullification, or the right of a 
state to declare any act of the federal Congress which 
was believed to be unconstitutional null and void. In 
1830 Senator Hayne of South Carolina proclaimed this 
doctrine in the United States Senate. He was answered 




1 Jackson did not originate the " Spoils System." It had already been 
highly developed in the state governments of New York and Pennsyl- 
vania; Jackson may be said to have introduced it into national affairs. 



236 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

by Daniel Webster, who, in a masterly oration, upheld 
the Constitution and the Union and denied the right of 
nullification and secession.^ 

In 1832 a state convention was called in South Caro- 
lina. This convention, which was under the influence 
of Calhoun, declared the tariff acts of Congress to be 
null and void, prohibited the payment of the duties, and 
threatened to leave the Union if force were used to 
collect these duties. 

It was indeed fortunate for the country that Andrew 
Jackson was President. He acted promptly and decid- 
edly. "The laws of the United States must be exe- 
cuted," he said in a proclamation to South Carolina, 
and at once General Scott was sent to Charleston, 
Lieutenant Farragut with a naval force to Charleston 
harbor, while the collector was ordered to collect the 
duties. 

Henry Clay, desirous of maintaining peace, suggested 
a compromise. He proposed a gradual lowering of the 
tariff of 1832 ^ for ten years, until the duty would be as 
low as it had been in the tariff of 18 16, — twenty per cent 
of the value of all imported goods. This compromise 

1 The effect of this speech upon the country . . . it is not easy for us 
at this day to measure. Vast numbers of Mr. Webster's speech were 
. . . published and circulated in pamphlet editions after all the principal 
newspapers of the country had given it entire to their readers. ... A great 
majority of the people of the United States, of all parties, understood, 
appreciated and accepted the view maintained by Mr. Webster of the 
nature of the Constitution and the character of the government which 
it established. — Curtis, Life of Webster. 

2 This act modified the tariffs of 1828 and 1830 and brought the 
duties back to the rates of 1S24. 




DANIEL WEBSTER 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 237 

became a law in 1833, and South Carolina repealed its 
ordinance of nullification. 

214. The Abolition Movement. — In 1 8 3 1 the Liberator 
appeared in Boston. It was a weekly paper published 
by William Lloyd Garrison, a young man twenty-six 
years of age. As the organ of the abolitionists, it 
advocated the immediate abolition of slavery in all 
parts of the Union. Antislavery societies began to 
be organized ^ and increased rapidly. They caused the 
greatest alarm, not only in the South but also in 
the North, where the mercantile and manufacturing 
interests were opposed to political or social agitation 
that would exasperate the South or diminish its pros- 
perous development. 

During this same year an insurrection broke out 
among the slaves of Virginia, who murdered sixty whites. 
The responsibility for this massacre was unjustly placed 
by the South on the abolitionists. As the agitation con- 
tinued and increased, popular indignation was more and 
more stirred, and in 1835 Garrison was dragged through 
the streets of Boston with a rope around his waist, and 
his life was barely saved. '^ 

1 These societies were aided by the fact that Great Britain (1833) 
freed the negro slaves in her colonies in the West Indies. English 
territory was now free from slavery throughout the world. 

2 It was this sight that led Wendell Phillips into the ranks of the 
abolitionists. Antiabolitionistmobs nowdestroyed the printing presses of 
the abolitionists in Philadelphia, and Alton, Illinois. In the latter city 
Elijah Lovejoy was killed in the attack on his office. Many abolitionists 
dissenting from Garrison's policy of abstaining from political action 
decided to form a party called the "Liberty party," and in 1840 they 
nominated a candidate for the presidency. 



238 essp:ntials of American history 

215. The Right of Petition. — Petitions now began to 
pour into Congress asking for the abolition of slavery 
and the slave trade in the District of Columbia. The 
southern leaders asked Congress to refuse to receive 
such petitions and after prolonged discussions Congress 
so voted, though John Quincy Adams protested that the 
right of petition was secured by the Constitution (First 
Amendment). These were the famous "gag" resolu- 
tions, intended to shut off debate on the slavery question. 

At this time the abolitionists began to send their 
publications in large numbers through the mails to the 
Southern States. 

The South asked the federal government to refuse to 
forward such literature as it was incendiary ^ and tended 
to inflame the slaves to rebellion and violence. The 
postmaster-general ruled that he had no authority by 
law to exclude such matter from the mails, and on the 
other hand he would not instruct postmasters to forward 
or to deliver abolition documents. 

The opponents of slavery thereupon claimed that two 
sacred rights under the Constitution were attacked, — 
the right of petition and the freedom of the press. 
Antislavery ideas spread more rapidly than ever; new 
abolition societies were formed throughout the Northern 
States, and the North and South drew ever nearer to the 
final struggle between freedom and slavery. 

216. Jackson overthrows the United States Bank. — 
President Jackson's attention was now turned to the 

1 At Charleston, vSouth Carolina, the abolition papers were taken 
from the post office and burned in public. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 239 

United States Bank. This institution was located in 
Philadelphia and, with its branches in many cities, trans- 
acted the financial business of the national government. 

Jackson believed the bank to be an un-American monop- 
oly, unsafe and badly managed. He resolved, therefore, 
to overthrow it. Although its charter would not expire 
until 1836, the friends of the bank introduced and passed 
a bill ( 1 832) to renew the charter for another twenty years 
from 1 836. Jackson promptly vetoed it. In the following 
year the Secretary of the Treasury was ordered to remove 
the government deposits from the bank and to distribute 
them among the state banks. A bitter contest arose over 
this action, but Jackson was successful and the Bank of 
the United States ceased to be a governmental bank. 

217. Indian Wars in the West and South. — In the 
West and South at this time Indian warfare spread 
destruction far and wide among the settlements. In the 
West the Sacs and P'oxes under the Sac chief. Black 
Hawk, went on the warpath, but were finally over- 
whelmed on the banks of the Mississippi. In Florida 
the Seminoles under Osceola burned and ravaged almost 
all the settlements in Plorida. It was not until 1842 
that they finally yielded and were removed to the West. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Jackson's administration were: 

1. The removals from office. 

2. The nullification question and Jackson's defense of the Union. 

3. The abolition movement. 

4. The overthrow of the United States Bank. ' 

5. The Indian wars of the West and South. 



240 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Martin Van Buren's Administration/ 1837-1841 

218. The Crisis of 1837 ; the Era of Speculation. — In 

the administration drawing to a close Van Buren had 
been Vice President. He was Jackson's intimate friend 
and adviser, and it was through his influence that Van 
Buren was elected. A New Yorker by birth, he was 
the first Democrat from the North to be elected. 

The last years of Jackson's administration . had wit- 
nessed an astonishing growth in the nation : the 
development of the great West,, the wonderful indus- 
trial progress and prosperity of the country had aroused 
to a fever pitch the spirit of speculation, especially in 
government lands ; towns were laid out on all sides, 
sometimes even in the wilderness ; great enterprises 
were undertaken without regard to cost or reason, and 
the entire nation seemed to be rushing on in a mad 
race for wealth. The causes of this wonderful mania 
for speculation were twofold : the United States was 
now free from debt, and at the same time money above 
expenses to the amount of thirty-five millions of dol- 
lars was flowing into the national treasury from the 

1 Martin Van Buren was born of Dutch ancestry in Kinderhook, New 
York, Dec. 5, 1782. He was an able lawyer and guided for many years 
the politics of the state of New York. He was senator of the United 
States (1821-1828), governor of New York (1828 and 1829), and Secre- 
tary of State (1829-1831). In the latter year he was nominated by 
Jackson as minister to England, but was not confirmed by the Senate. 
In 1832 he was elected Vice President by the Democrats and four years 
later was elected President, defeating General William Henry Harrison. 
In 1848 the Free-Soil party nominated him for President, but he received 
no electoral votes. He died in 1862. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



241 



customhouses and land offices. As the opponents of 
the administration beHeved that the deposit of the pubHc 
money in the private banks was a source of poUtical 
corruption, they proposed to distribute the surpkis to 
the states. A compromise was effected, and the surplus, 
to the amount of 

twenty-eight mil- ^^^ -^ 

lions of dollars, ^^, ^ 

was "deposited " 
with the several 
states. This money 
the states used for 
education and for 
internal improve- 
ments. The states 
also borrowed 
money from abroad 
and began exten- 
sive enterprises, 
and, relying on the 
increase of wealth 

to come from the improvements, they recklessly con- 
tracted enormous debts. ^ 

219. The State Banks and Wild-Cat Money. — A 
second cause for this wild speculation was the ease with 
which money or loans were obtained from the state 




Martin Van Buren 



1 Two states were admitted al)out this time. Arkansas (Ark'an-saw) 
had been part of the Louisiana Purchase and became a state June 15, 
1836. Michigan was formed from the Northwest Territory and was 
admitted to the Union Jan. 26, 1837. 



242 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

banks with which to buy pubHc lands. We have seen 
that the Bank of the United States had failed to secure 
a renewal of its charter. This led to an increase in 
the number of banks established under charters from 
the states. Many of them had little capital. In 
banks of this kind was now placed the money formerly 
deposited in the Bank of the United States or its 
branches. Many of these state banks ^ issued large 
amounts of banknotes or promises to pay gold or silver ^ 
when they really had neither gold nor silver. As the 
banknotes were used to pay for government land, the 
President became alarmed and demanded specie, or, in 
other words, gold and silver, for the land. This stopped 
the speculation; men tried to sell the lands for what 
they could get, and a widespread crisis ensued at the 
very outset of Van Buren's administration. Banks sus- 
pended everywhere ; mills and factories were closed, and 
tens of thousands of workingmen were thrown out of 
employment. Many states and territories which had 
borrowed money from foreign countries were unable to 
pay their obligations. Seven of them failed to pay the 
interest to their foreign creditors, and one refused to pay 
either principal or interest.^ For many years afterward 
Europeans looked with disfavor on American securities. 

1 The slate banks in which government money was deposited were 
nicknamed ** Pet Banks " because they were favored by the administration. 

2 A bank in Michigan issued notes with a picture on them of a wikl- 
cat or panther. When this bank failed its notes were called "wild-cat 
notes," and hence banks that were either insolvent or likely to become 
so were called " wild-cat banks," and their notes " wild-cat money." 

^ Such an action is called " repudiation." 



THE PERIOD OF UxMION 243 

220. The Subtreasury Plan. — To bring about a 
better state of financial affairs, Van Buren favored a 
plan to establish a subtreasury for the money of the 
United States. Instead of depositing its money in 
state banks, the government nov^ proposed to keep its 
own deposits. To this end, the bill established the 
Independent Treasury of the United States, in the 
Treasury Building in Washington, with branches at 
the mints of Philadelphia and New Orleans. Sub- 
treasuries were to be provided for at Boston, New 
York, Charleston, St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and 
Baltimore. 

The project did not meet with favor until 1840, when 
it became a law. Although it was repealed in the fol- 
lowing year, it was again enacted in 1846 and has since 
been an important part of the government's financial 
system. 

221. The Antirent Agitation in New York. — Under 
the patroon system, as we have seen (p. 61), vast estates 
came into the hands of a few families. One of these 
vast tracts of land belonged to Livingston. It extended 
ten miles along the Hudson river and was eighteen 
miles in breadth, containing one hundred and sixty-five 
thousand acres. The estate of Killian Van Rensselaer 
extended twenty-four miles on each side of the Hudson 
and twenty miles back into the country on each side. 
Many of the tenants on these vast farms, believing the 
War of the Revolution had destroyed the title of the 
patroons to this property, failed for years to pay their 
rent, and when it was finally demanded rose in arms 



244 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

(1840) and drove out the rent collectors.^ For about ten 
years discontent and disorder prevailed throughout these 
districts. Finally, after the courts had recognized the 
titles of the patroons, a compromise was effected (1850) 
by which the proprietors sold the lands to the tenants at 
a reasonable price. 

222. The Mormons. — At this time a new religious 
sect arose in western New York. Joseph Smith, Jr.,^ 
the leader, announced that he had received from an 
angel a book composed of golden plates. This book, 
Smith declared, told the story of the early inhabitants 
of America and the truth of a new gospel. He called 
it the Book of Hlormon, from the name of the alleged 
writer of the book. Smith and his followers moved 
from New York to Missouri, where he came in conflict 
with the state authorities. They moved from place to 

1 There were many objectionable features in the leases of these 
estates. Besides paying the rent the tenant was compelled to have 
his corn ground at the patroon's mill, giving the patroon one tenth 
for grinding, to plant orchards, clear the forest lands, build barns, and 
pay all the taxes. He was also required to contribute to the support 
of the minister of the manor church. He could not keep a tavern or 
carry on a trade on the farm, and if he sold his lease he was required to 
pay to the landlord one third of the amount received. 

2 Joseph Smith, Jr., was born in Vermont and moved with his 
parents to Palmyra, New York, when he was ten years of age. He 
was a well digger, "a man of no standing and no influence." Of the 
golden plates Smith said : " Each plate was six inches wnde and eight 
inches long, and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled 
with engravings in Egyptian characters. . . . With the records was 
found a curious instrument . . . which consisted of two transparent 
stones, set in the rim of a bow, fastened to a breastplate. Through the 
medium [of these stones] I translated the record by the gift and power 
of God." 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 245 

place and were finally driven out, settling at last on the 
banks of the Mississippi at Nauvoo, Illinois. While not 
a part of their original belief, polygamy soon became an 
article of their faith. ^ Their peculiar doctrines soon 
aroused their neighbors, at that time plain backwoods- 
men. Smith refused to obey the laws of the state, 
claiming he was superior to them. He destroyed the 
printing office of a paper which exposed his crimes. 
Soon armed strife broke out ; Smith and his brother 
were placed in jail at Carthage, Illinois, where they 
were murdered by the mob. His followers now deter- 
mined to get a new home in the far West. Under 
the leadership of Brigham Young they crossed the 
prairies and the desolate plains of eastern Utah and 
finally reached the beautiful valley of the Great Salt 
lake. Near its banks they founded (1848) Salt Lake 
City. 

223. Development of the Express Business. — William 
F. Harnden, who had been a conductor on the Boston 
and Worcester Railroad, announced (1839) ^^^^ he 
had arranged to carry money, valuables, and packages 
between Boston and New York. For some months 
a valise or two sufficed to carry the goods intrusted 
to him, but in a year the business had grown to goodly 

1 Polygamy was condemned by the Book of Mormon. In 1852 
Brigham Young read a copy of a " revelation " given to Smith nine 
years before, which opened the way for polygamy. The doctrine of 
polygamy was abandoned by the Mormon Church in 1890, as the result 
of a law passed by the United States (1887) declaring its property for- 
feited inasmuch as the Mormons practiced polygamy, which is contrary 
to our national laws. 



246 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



proportions. Alvin Adams and P. R. Burke established 
(1840) a rival express under the name Burke & Co., 
which became later the great Adams Express Com- 
pany. Twenty years later the pony express was estab- 
lished to reach the 
Pacific coast. Sta- 
tions were located 
ten miles apart be- 
tween St. Joseph, 
Missouri, and Sac- 
ramento. Mounted 
on a fast pony, the 
messenger started 
across the plains 
to the first station, 
where a fresh 
horse was taken and the journey continued. At every 
third station a fresh rider took the mail. In eight days 
these riders traversed two thousand miles of prairies, 
deserts, and lonely mountain passes ; often they perished 
in the raging snowstorms, but oftener they fell victims 
to the Indians. It cost five dollars to send a letter by 
this express. 




The Pony Express 



SUMMARY 



The leading events of Van Buren's administration were : 

1. The great crisis of 1837. 

2. Tlie establishment of the subtreasury. 

3. The antirent agitation in New York. 

4. The rise of the Mormons. 

5. The beginning of the express business. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



247 



Harrison and Tyler's Administrations, 1841-1845 

224. The Election of Harrison and Tyler, 1841-1845.— 
As Van Buren's term drew to a close the Whigs ^ 
determined to take advantage of the distress of the 
times and prevent, if possible, his reelection. They 
nominated as their candidate for President, William 
Henry Harrison, the hero of Tippecanoe, and for Vice 
President, John Tyler. The contest was a most spirited 
one. A Democratic paper 
had contemptuously re- 
ferred to Harrison as liv- 
ing in a log cabin, drinking 
hard cider, and skinning 
'coons. The Whigs at 
once took up the cry and 
called him the log-cabin 
candidate. Log cabins 
were erected as the head- 
quart ers of the Whigs. 
With cheerings for ''Tip- 
pecanoe and Tyler too," 

processions filled the streets, .bearing models of log 
cabins with 'coon- skins hanging at the door; immense 
meetintrs were held out of doors, at which thousands of 




William Henry Harrison 



1 After Jackson's administration his supporters, who had been called 
Democratic Republicans, dropped the latter word and became known as 
Democrats. Their opponents took the name of Whigs. The Whigs 
in England were opposed to the king. In this country the enemies of 
Jackson claimed he was as tyrannical in his methods as any king could 
be, and hence they opposed him under the name of Whigs. 



248 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

people gathered. The enthusiasm of the people carried 
Harrison to victory by a large majority, no less than 
nineteen states giving him their electoral votes. Van 
Buren carried only six states. 

225. Death of Harrison ; Tyler and the Whigs dis- 
agree In the midst of the Whig rejoicings Harrison ^ 

suddenly died, a month after his inauguration, and Tyler 
became President .^ It was the first time in our history 
that a President had died in office. Tyler was a states' 
rights Republican of the type of Jefferson, and his views 
were in important respects different from those of the 
party that had elected him. The Whigs desired to 
reestablish the Bank of the United States, and a bill 
was passed to that end. Tyler vetoed it. Another bill, 
framed to meet the President's objections, was passed, but 
he vetoed that bill also. Tyler was thereupon deserted 
by the Whig party, and his entire cabinet resigned 

1 William Henry Harrison was born Feb. 9, 1773, ^^ Berkeley, 
Virginia. His father was one of the signers of the Declaration of 
Independence and governor of Virginia. Harrison entered the army 
and served under "Mad Anthony" Wayne. In 1795 ^^^ ^'^^ appointed 
captain and took command of Fort Washington, on the site of the 
present city of Cincinnati. He was appointed (180 1) governor of Indiana 
Territory. He was later elected to the House of Representatives and 
Senate of the United States. He became minister to Colombia (1828) 
and on his return spent the years until his election as President on his 
farm at North Bend on the Ohio. He died April 4, 1841:' 

2 John Tyler was born in Virginia in 1 790. His father was governor 
of that state for some years. Tyler was a lawyer, served in both houses 
of Congress, and was governor of Virginia. In 1861 he tried to bring 
about peace between the North and the South and, when these measures 
failed, he followed his native state out of the Union. He died in 1862 
while attending the sessions of the Confederate Congress in Richmond. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 249 

with the exception of Daniel Webster, who remained 
to conchide his labors on the new treaty with England. 

226. The Webster-Ashburton Treaty. — The treaty of 
peace, signed at the close of the Revolution, had left 
in question a large territory — twelve thousand square 
miles — on our northeast boundary. England and the 
United States both claimed it, and war was imminent 
as Maine had sent troops into the disputed territory. 
England now sent a commissioner. Lord Ashburton, to 
arrange with Daniel Webster, secretary of state, a new 
treaty. The boundaries were satisfactorily adjusted, 
Maine securing about seven thousand miles and Eng- 
land the remaining five thousand.^ Our boundary line 
to the west as far as the Lake of the Woods was also 
determined. The treaty easily passed the Senate, and 
war was averted. This work being finished, Webster 
resigned from the cabinet. 

227. The Dorr Rebellion, 1842. — The people of 
Rhode Island had been living under a constitution, 
granted as far back as the time of Charles II, which 
allowed only landowners and their eldest sons to vote. 
Unless a man owned real estate he could not act as a 
juror nor bring a suit in any court of law until a property 
holder indorsed it. The representation in the legis- 
lature was absolutely unjust, as a struggling village had 
as great a representation as a flourishing city. 

1 The United States paid three hundred thousand dollars to Maine 
and Massachusetts for the territory yielded to England. Provision was 
made in this treaty for the extradition of criminals and the maintenance 
of cruisers to put down the African slave trade. 



250 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Having tried in vain to secure a change in the con- 
stitution, the people rebelled, formed a convention, and 
elected Thomas W. Dorr governor. As most of those 
who voted for Dorr were not legally voters, the existing 
state government refused to recognize him. 

Both sides took up arms, but little bloodshed ensued. 
Dorr was finally arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 

imprisonment for life, but 



he was soon pardoned. 
His work was not in vain, 
however, for a new consti- 
tution was adopted (1843), 
containing most of the 
reforms Dorr demanded. 

228. The Electric Tele- 
graph. — In 1837 S. F. 
B. Morse secured a patent 
=\ for sending messages by 
electricity. Few believed 
in its worth, and the in- 
ventor struggled on in 
poverty for years. In 
1843 he asked Congress to appropriate thirty thousand 
dollars for a telegraph line between Washington and 
Baltimore, a distance of forty miles. There was bitter 
opposition to the h\\\,^ one member remarlcing that a 




X . '-^;;>-^- 



Samuel F. B. Morse 



1 While the bill was pending Morse was a spectator in the House of 
Representatives, and said to a friend : " I have spent seven years in 
perfecting this invention and all that I had. If it succeeds, I am a 
made man ; if it fails, I am ruined." 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



251 



railroad to the moon would be as reasonable. At mid- 
night on the last day of the session the bill was carried, 
and the work was begun. Professor Morse sent the first 
message, which read, "What hath God wrought." In 
an office in the Capitol at Washington Morse received 
tidings of the convention at Baltimore and the news of 
the nomination of Polk. Said one who was present : 
'' This talking with Baltimore was something so novel, 
so strange, so extraordinary, and upon a matter of such 
interest that we could hardly realize 
the fact. It seemed like enchant- 
ment, or a delusion or a dream." 
Here was begun the telegraph 
system that crossing the lands and 
passing under the oceans now 
girdles the earth. 

229. The Annexation of Texas. 
— The burning question during 
Tyler's term was the annexation of 
Texas. In 1821 Mexico granted a tract of land in Texas, 
which subsequently formed part of the state of Coahuila-^ 
Texas in the Mexican Republic, to Moses Austin, a native 
of Connecticut, on condition that he would found a 
settlement. In 1835 Mexico was changed by President 
Santa Ana from a federal to a centralized republic, by 
which the states lost their state rights. Difficulties arose 
with Texas out of this change,^ and the Texans rebelled 




The " Lone Star " Flag 



1 Coahuila (Co-ah-whee'la). 

- The Texans did not look for independence at first. They merely 
desired to become a separate state within the Mexican Republic. 



252 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

and formed a new constitution,^ permitting slavery.^ 
The Mexican government attacked the Texans, but was 
finally badly defeated at the decisive battle of San 
Jacinto^ (1836). Texas thereupon became a republic, 
and her independence was recognized by the United 
States, England, Belgium, and France. At once she 
applied for admission to the Union as a slave state. She 
was unsuccessful. In 1844 President Tyler negotiated 
a treaty with Texas providing for annexation. It was 
rejected by the Senate, thirty-five to sixteen.* The 
South desired the annexation of Texas that she might 
increase the slave territory ; the North opposed it, 
believing from this vast tract sufficient slave states 
would be formed to give the slave power control of the 
republic. The question was made the leading issue in 
the presidential campaign of 1 844, and Polk was elected 
by the Democrats,^ defeating Clay, the Whig candidate. 

1 It was called from its flag the " Lone Star Republic." The Texans 
declared their independence March 2, 1836. 

2 In 1S24 Mexico forbade the importation of slaves into her territory 
and declared free all children thereafter born of slaves. In 1S29 all 
the slaves in Mexico were freed. The settlers who had come from the 
United States, however, refused to free their slaves and openly defied 
the laws of the land. 

•^ San Jacinto (Sahn Ha-theen'toh). The leader of the Texans was 
Sam Houston of Tennessee. He had fought under Andrew Jackson. 

* Clay, speaking in the Senate, said, " Annexation and war with 
Mexico are identical." Mexico had officially warned us tha!t the annexa- 
tion of Texas would be considered a cause of war. 

^ The Democrats took for their campaign cry, " The reannexation 
of Texas and the reoccupation of Oregon." Referring to the pending 
Oregon dispute, the air resounded with cries of " The whole of Oregon 
or none! Fifty-four forty or fight!" — 54° 40' being the southernmost 
point of Alaska, at that time of course a Russian possession. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 253 

The result of the election President Tyler interpreted as a 
verdict of the people in favor of the annexation of Texas. 
He proposed to Congress that Texas be treated like a 
territory applying for admission to the Union, and be 
admitted by a joint resolution. This was done, and 
Texas, having accepted this method, became a state 
Feb. 19, 1846, with the provision that with her consent 
four other states might be formed from her territory. 
Texas was the last slave state admitted to the Union. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Harrison and Tyler's administrations 
were : 

1. Death of President Harrison. 

2. The Webster- Ashburton treaty. 

3. The Dorr rebellion in Rhode Island. 

4. Morse's electric telegraph. 

5. The annexation of Texas. 



Polk's Administration,^ 1845-1849 

230. The Settlement of Oregon. — Since the treaty of 
1 8 18 the United States and Great Britain had occupied 
Oregon as a joint possession. As we have seen. Captain 
Gray of Boston , discovered and named the Columbia 
river in 1 792 ; Lewis and Clark later explored this 

1 James K. Polk was born in North Carolina in 1795. Eleven years 
later his family moved to Tennessee. Polk studied law and was elected 
to Congress in 1824. He was chosen governor of Tennessee in 1839. 
Because -he favored the annexation of Texas he was nominated for 
President by the Democrats, defeating Henry Clay. Polk died in 1849, 
three months after his term as President had expired. 



254 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 




territory, and John Jacob Astor established here his 
fur-trading colony, which was named Astoria. 

The Hudson Bay Company had posts throughout the 
territory, especially north of the Columbia river. Their 
principal station was Fort Vancouver, nearly opposite 

the mouth of the Willa- 
mette. Here resided 
Dr. John McLoughlin,^ 
the "chief factor" or 
agent for the company 
throughout the Pacific 
Northwest. The Cana- 
dian settlers and Indians 
had asked for priests to 
minister to them, and in 
1838 Fathers Blanchet and Demers left Montreal for the 
Oregon country, where they established many missions. 
Two years later Father De Smet,^ the famous Jesuit 
missionary, started from the Missouri river with a large 
party of emigrants. He founded (1841) his first mission 
among the Flathead Indians on the Bitter Root river 
and later established many others. 

1 Dr. McLoughlin was born in Quebec of Irish parentage and was 
thirty-nine years of age when he arrived in Oregon. " White men and 
red alike revered him," says II. H. Bancroft. " He prevented wars, 
upheld right and justice and ruled with a strong, firm liand." 

2 Father De Smet sailed for Europe and returned with four priests, 
and six sisters of Notre Dame of Namur, who opened a school for girls. 
So rapid was the spiritual growth in Oregon that Father Blanchet was 
appointed Bishop Dec. i, 1S43. "Father De Smet was a worthy 
member of his order. Young, handsome, intellectual, educated and 
energetic, he was well fitted to make a favorable impression upon the 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 255 

231. The Adjustment of the Oregon Question. — The 

resources of the Oregon country in the years following 
1842 attracted thousands of settlers who in long cara- 
vans toiled through the passes of the Rockies. ^ Through- 
out the West the people began to demand the absolute 
possession of Oregon, that is, all the territory from 
California as far as the southern boundary of Russian 
America (Alaska) .^ 

England, on the other hand, claimed that Drake had 
discovered this coast and that settlements had been 
made by English colonists. She declined to yield up 
this vast tract of rich country and thereby cut herself 
off from the Pacific coast. 

She finally proposed, as a compromise, a division of 
the territory at the forty-ninth parallel. This was our 
northern boundary from the Great Lakes to the Rocky 
mountains, and it was now extended to the Pacific. An 

savages and to succeed in a field which others had either shunned or 
abandoned." — II. II. Bancroft, Oregon. 

1 The statement that Marcus Whitman, a missionary of the Ameri- 
can Board of Foreign Missions, first discovered the danger of our losing 
Oregon and in the depth of winter hurried to Washington, where he 
acquainted our government with the worth of the country, has been 
utterly disproved. As a matter of fact, he came east to settle the 
troubles that had arisen among the missionaries themselves and to 
prevent the closing of certain missions which had been decided upon 
by the board. He had little, if any, influence on our authorities in 
Washington, who already well knew the value of Oregon. On his return 
Whitman joined a company of emigrants who were already on their 
way and assisted them with his valuable knowledge of the route. He 
was later cruelly murdered by the Indians. (See Legend of Marcus 
Whitman in Essays in Historical Criticism, by Prof. E. G. Bourne.) 

2 The boundary was 54° 40', north latitude. Hence arose the famous 
cry, " The whole of Oregon or none ! Fifty-four forty or fight ! " 



256 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 




The Mexican War 



agreement was reached on this basis, and Oregon was 

made a territory with the prohibition of slavery ^ (1848). 

232. The War with Mexico; Battles of Palo Alto, 

Resaca de la Palma, and Buena Vista. — Texas, on her 

1 Twenty-four years before, a member of Congress opposed the 
accession of Oregon because of its great distance. " He ridiculed the 
idea of a senator from Oregon to Washington going and coming in less 
than a year, whether he travelled overland or by sea around Cape Horn 
or through Bering's Straits around the north coast of the Continent. ' It 
is true,' he said, ' this passage is not yet discovered except upon our maps, 
but it will be as soon as Oregon shall be a state.' " — Bancroft, Oregon. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 257 

admission to the Union, claimed the Rio Grande ^ as her 
southern and western boundary, while Mexico maintained 
that the Nueces river ^ formed the boundary/^ President 
Polk, however, agreed with the Texans^ and ordered 
General Zachary Taylor to seize the disputed territory. 
Taylor did so, advancing to the Rio Grande, where he 
built Fort Brown. Directly opposite was the Mexican 
city of Matamoros. The conflict was not long postponed. 
The Mexicans crossed the river and attacked a band of 
United States soldiers. Taylor at once attacked the Mexi- 
cans and in the battles of Palo Alto^ (May 8, 1846) and 
Resaca de la Palma (May 9, 1846) defeated them.^ 

He thereupon crossed the Rio Grande and took Mata- 
moros. Four days later war was declared against Mexico, 
and fifty thousand volunteers were called for. 

1 Rio Grande (Ree'o Grahn'day) means "great river." 

'•^ Nueces (Noo-ay'thayce). 

3 The southern boundary of Texas when it was part of one of the 
states of the republic of Mexico was the Nueces river. As part of 
the Louisiana Purchase, however, the Rio Grande was assumed to be 
the southern boundary. 

* General Grant, who served in the Mexican War, said in his memoirs : 
" I was bitterly opposed to the measure [the annexation of Texas] and 
to this day regard the war which resulted as one of the most unjust ever 
waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It is an instance of a 
republic following the. bad example of European monarchies, in not 
considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory. . . . 
The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican War. 
Nations like individuals are punished for their transgressions. We got our 
punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times." 

5 Palo Alto (Pah'lo Ahl'to) means " tall tree " ; Resaca de la Palma 
(Ray-sah'cah day lah PahPma), " ravine of the palm." 

^ Congress was informed that " Mexico had shed American blood 
upon American soil. War exists and exists by the act of Mexico 
herself." Congress accepted this view and declared war. 



258 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

233. The Plan of Campaign. — The plan of campaign 
was threefold : General Taylor was to control the Rio 
Grande and move southward ; General Stephen W. 
Kearny was to conquer New Mexico and California ; 
General Winfield Scott, the commander in chief, was to 
advance from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico. In the 
autumn of 1 846 Taylor captured the town of Matamoros 
and then moved against the city of Monterey,^ which 
he won after a four days' battle (Sept, 24, 1846). 

He was now ordered to send all but five thousand of 
his troops to General Scott. In this weakened condi- 
tion he was attacked at Buena Vista ^ by the Mexican 
general, Santa Ana,^ who had a vastly superior force. 
Taylor won a decided victory (Feb. 23, 1847). 

234. New Mexico and California. — In the summer of 
1846 General Kearny had marched from Fort Leaven- 
worth to conquer New Mexico and California. He 
easily made his way to Santa Fe,^ which surrendered 
without opposition. The flag of the United States was 
raised, and New Mexico passed under our rule.^ 

1 Monterey (Mon-tay-ray'ee) means "king's mountain." 

2 Buena Vista (Bway'nah Vees'tah) means " beautiful view." 
^ This name is often written in its English form, Anna. 

"* Santa Fe (Sahn-tah Fay) means " holy faith." It had been founded 
probably in 15S2 and is the second oldest town in the United States. 

^ A part of these troops were then dispatched under Colonel Doni- 
phan to join our forces in Chihuahua (Chee-wah'wah). This city is in 
the midst of a burning desert, and the troops suffered untold hardships 
through thirst and heat in their march. On the route they subdued 
(Dec. 25, 1846) the Navajo (Nah'vah-ho) Indians, defeated a force of 
the Mexicans at Bracito (Brah-thee'toh) (Feb. 28, 1847), ^^^ ^^o^i a 
victory over a large force at Chihuahua. He then joined his forces 
with those of General Wool at Saltillo (Sahl-teeKyo). 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



259 



In the meantime, under the advice of Captain John C. 
Fremont/ who had been sent by Congress on three 
exploring expeditions and was at this time in CaHfornia, 
the American settlers in the Sacramento valley declared 
California to be an independent republic. Commodore 
Sloat, however, had taken Monterey, on the Pacific 
coast, for the United States (July 7, 1847) ^^^^^ raised 
the flag of the Union. He ordered Captain Montgomery 
of the United States sloop of war, PortsmoiitJi, to seize 
San Francisco. Commodore Stockton, who replaced 






^ioit:!' 






Chalco 



.^"OUTE 






OF 



PmLU 



rfi^,^' Perote 



Orizalia, 



^•u; 



Jalapa 




CeiTo Gordo 

Vera Cruz\, 
{Furlreiauf 
San Juan de L'lluay\ 



Route of General Scott 



Sloat, captured Los Angeles,^ and soon the United 
States colors were floating over all the territory. 

235. Scott's March to the City of Mexico. — After his 
defeat at Buena Vista, Santa Ana hastened to attack 



1 John C. Fremont was born (1813) in Savannah, Georgia, of French 
descent. He was called "The Pathfinder" because of his explorations 
of the far West. He represented California in the United States Senate 
when that state entered the Union. 

2 Los Angeles (Spanish pronunciation, Loce An'hell-ace ; American 
pronunciation, Los An'gel-es) means "the angels." Its full Spanish 
name was Nuestra Seiiora la Reina de los Angeles, " Our Lady, the 
Queen of the Angels." 



26o ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Scott, who had landed at Vera Cruz.^ This port was 
defended by a fort called San Juan de Ulloa,^ at that 
time a position of great strength. For four days Scott 
rained shot and shell upon it until it surrendered. Scott 
now started for the city of Mexico, about two hundred 
and sixty miles away. The road led through mountain 
passes. At Cerro Gordo,^ one of the higher spurs, the 
Mexicans, fifteen thousand strong, awaited Scott, but he 
defeated them (April 18, 1847). 

The beautiful city of Puebla* next fell into his hands. 
He waited here almost three months and then started for 
the capital. He soon met the Mexicans and defeated 
them (August 20) at Contreras.^ They thereupon fell 
back the same day to Churubusco,^ where they fortified 
themselves in and around the old monastery. Here 
another battle was fought, ending in the defeat of the 
Mexicans. Our troops pushed steadily onward, fight- 
ing the battle of Molino del Rey'' (September 8). 
At last they reached Chapultepec.^ On this strongly 

1 Vera Cruz (Vay'rah Croos) means "true cross." Its full name was 
Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, " The Rich City of the True Cross." It was 
founded by the intrepid explorer Cortes, whose route to the city of 
Mexico was followed by Scott. 

^ San Juan de Ulloa (Sahn Whahn day Ool-yo'ah). 

3 Cerro Gordo (Ther'ro Gor'do) means "large hill." 

4 Puebla (Pway'blah). 

^ Contreras (Con-tray'ras). '' 

^ Churubusco (Choo-roo-boos'co). 

" Molino del Rey (Mo-lee'no del Ray'ee) means " king's mill." This 
was a grain mill, strongly garrisoned and surrounded by a wall. 

^ Chapultepec (Chah-pool-tay-peck') means "the hill of the grass- 
hopper." Besides the military school, on this hill stands the beautiful 
summer residence of the President of the Mexican Republic. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



261 



fortified height was the National Military School. It 
looks over the great valley in which lies the city of 
Mexico. The young cadets, many of them only four- 
teen years of age, joined heroically in the defense of 




Scott entering Mexico 

the hill, but in vain. Chapultepec fell (September 13), 
and the next day our army entered the city of Mexico. 

The fall of the capital ended the war. We had won 
every battle. 

236. The Peace Treaty, 1848. — A treaty of peace 
was signed (Feb. 2, 1848) at Guadaloupe Hidalgo,^ by 

1 Guadaloupe Hidalgo (Gwah-dah-loo'pay Ee-dahrgo) is a suburb 
of the city of Mexico and contains the famous shrine of '• Our Lady 
of Guadaloupe." 



262 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

which Mexico ceded New Mexico and CaUfornia to 
the United States. As we already possessed Texas, 
with the Rio Grande as its southern boundary, an area 
about nine hundred thousand square miles in extent 
was added to our domain, — a territory nearly five 
times the size of France and twenty times as large as 
Pennsylvania. 

In return we paid Mexico fifteen millions of dollars, 
and assumed the claims of our citizens against Mexico, 
amounting to three and a quarter millions of dollars. 
We also assumed the debt of Texas, amounting to seven 
and one-half millions. An important result of the war 
was the education of many officers who were later to 
figure prominently in the Civil War.^ 

237. The Wilmot Proviso, 1846. — During the Mex- 
ican War, David Wilmot, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, 
proposed (1846) a measure, called from him the Wilmot 
Proviso.^ It sought to exclude slavery from all the 
territory to be acquired from Mexico. As Mexico had 
abolished slavery in 1827, Wilmot desired to prevent the 
reintroduction of the slave system into the area that 
Mexico might cede to us. The Proviso led to earnest 
and bitter debates on the slavery question, the North 
warmly favoring the measure, the South as strongly 

1 Grant, Lee, Thomas, Sherman, McClellan, Beauregard, Shields, and 
Jackson were some of the officers trained in this war. 

2 A bill had been introduced into Congress appropriating two millions 
of dollars for the purchase of the disputed territory from Mexico. It 
was to this bill that Wilmot moved to have added his proviso, "that 
neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of 
said territory except as a punishment for crime." 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 



263 



opposing it. It passed the House of Representatives 
but was defeated in the Senate. 

238. Great Inventions ; the Reaper and Sewing Machine. 
— During this and the following administration a num- 
ber of great inventions ushered in a new industrial 





'^iV//> 






McCormick 

and 
the Reaper 






u:^^ 









^^r^^4 



^^'i 



era. Obed Hussey of Maryland patented (1833) a 
reaper. Six months later Cyrus H. McCormick of 
Virginia secured a patent on his reaper. For some years 
McCormick tried in vain to sell his machines. At 
last the farmers of the great West recognized the value 
of the new invention, and the leapers came into general 



264 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



use. They have rendered possible the profitable culti- 
vation of the western wheat fields and greatly reduced 
the price of bread. 

Elias Howe,^ who lived in the direst poverty, watched 
his wife one day while she toiled with her needle and 

conceived the idea of building a 
machine to do the arduous work 
of sewing. He toiled for many 
years and took out his first 
patent (1846) with money he 
had been compelled to borrow. 
Howe's ideas were developed by 
others until sewing machines 



were in practically every house- 
hold. They were introduced 
(1862) into factories, under Mc- 
Kay's patent, for sewing shoes 
and brought about a great reduction in the price of shoes. 
239. Goodyear's Discovery ; the Use of Ether. — The 
year 1844 witnessed the great discovery of Goodyear^ in 
the treatment of india rubber.^ Various attempts had 




Elias Howe 



1 Elias Howe was born in Spencer, Massachusetts. His first machine 
was operated by a hand wheel. The foot treadle came in later (1S51), 
and still later steam power. Unlike many inventors, Howe amassed a 
large fortune from his invention. 

2 Charles Goodyear was born in New Haven (iSoo) and toiled in 
abject poverty for years. The Emperor Napoleon of France conferred 
on him the " Cross of the Legion of Honor," and it was brought to 
him while he was in prison in Paris for debt. It has been said that the 
rubber shoe has done more to preserve the health of the human family 
than any other single article of apparel. 

2 India rubber is the juice or sap from a certain tropical tree. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 265 

been made for years in the manufacture of goods from 
rubber, but they were unsuccessful as the heat melted 
the goods in summer and the cold cracked them in 
winter. Goodyear, after working for years, at last acci- 
dentally discovered vulcanization, a process by which 
sulphur is mixed with the rubber gum and then sub- 
jected to great heat. In this way rubber could be 
made not only hard or soft but durable, and the secret 
was thus discovered by which rubber goods became so 
important a part of man's life. 

The greatest boon in the history of the world for the 
relief of suffering humanity came in the years 1844 
to 1846. Dr. Wells of Hartford, in 1844, had nitrous 
oxide gas (laughing gas) administered to himself for the 
extraction of one of his teeth and discovered that it 
produced insensibility to pain. Dr. Morton, a dentist in 
Boston, and Dr. Jackson, a chemist, discovered in 1846 
the value of ether for producing absolute insensibility 
with safety. This wonderful discovery rendered possible 
the most delicate and vital operations while the patient 
remained in profound unconsciousness.^ 

240. The Early Explorations of California. — An event 
now occurred that was destined to exert a great influence 
on our history, — the discovery of gold in California. 
Before considering this event a brief sketch of the 
early history of California is necessary. The fearless 

1 Among the other inventions about this period were the Hoe 
printing presses (1845), which led to the mammoth octuple press " that 
prints, cuts, pastes, folds and counts newspapers at the rate of sixteen 
hundred a minute," Colt's revolver, Ericsson's screw propeller, and the 
steam fire engine. 



266 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

explorer Cortes discovered (1535) the gulf and penin- 
sula of Lower California.^ Seven years later Cabrillo^ 
explored the Pacific coast of California, entering the 
harbor of San Diego ^ (1542). In 1602 Sebastian Viz- 
caino* with three vessels sailed from Acapulco and dis- 
covered the bay of Monterey, which he so named in honor 
of the viceroy of Mexico. In 1697 the Jesuits began 
the work of spreading the Gospel and civilization among 
the native Indians.^ Mission after mission was founded 
in Lower California until the society was expelled from 
the Spanish dominions in 1767. For many years Cali- 
fornia had been neglected by Spain. Two causes at 
last served to awake the mother countrv : first, the 
fear that the coast would be seized and occupied by 
another power ; second, the need of harbors whither 
the richly laden ships coming from the Philippines could 
seek safety from storms or pirates. 

1 The name California was derived, it is believed, from a Spanish 
romance published in 1510 which described a very rich island called 
California " on the right hand of the Indies." As California was at 
first thought to be an island and this romance was published not many 
years before the expedition of Cortes, the name was applied to the 
newly discovered land. The upper part was later called Alta (Upper) 
California, and the lower Baja (Lower) California. 

2 Cabrillo (Cah-breel'yo). 

^ San Diego (Dee-ay'go) means '' St. James." 

■* Vizcaino (Veeth-cah-ee'no). 

^ This work was planned and carried out under Father Salvatierra, 
assisted by Fathers Kino, Riccolo, and others. " Father Salvatierra 
taught," says Blackmar, "the natives to till the soil, to construct 
houses, to learn trades ; and he practised them in the observances of 
the Church. Their children were instructed in the rudiments of learning. 
He looked out for their physical comfort, endeavoring to make them 
happy and contented as he taught them the arts of a new civilization." 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 267 

241. Foundation of the Missions. — Spurred on by 
orders from Spain, the viceroy of Mexico now deter- 
mined to push the occupation and civilization of Cah- 
fornia. The Franciscans were invited to extend their 
aid in converting, civiUzing, and educating the Indians. ^ 
The superior of the order, Feather Junipero Scrra,^ per- 
sonally led in the good work. San Diego was the first 
of the California missions established (1769), and "the 
pilgrims there sang the first Christian hymn heard on 
California's shores." Monterey was founded in 1770, 
and in rapid succession San F^rancisco (1776), Santa 
Clara (1777), San Jose^ (1797), Los Angeles (1781), 
Santa Barbara (178 i), and many others, until an unbroken 
line of missions, twenty-one in number, joined San Diego 
to San F^rancisco, spreading on all sides the truths of 
the Gospel and the blessings of civilization. 

242. Decline of the Missions. — In 18 13 the first step 
in removing the missions from the care of the Religious 
Orders was taken by the Spanish government, but the 
decree was not carried out. In 1833 the Mexican govern- 
ment decided to enforce the earlier decree, making the 
missions state property. It was the beginning of the end 

1 The Franciscans had come to Mexico in 1524 and established the 
mission of San Fernando, that became the mother of all the Franciscan 
missions in Mexico and California. The Jesuits came in 1572, having 
already established missions in Havana and among the Seminole Indi- 
ans of Florida. The Carmelites arrived in 1585, and the Benedictines 
in 1589. 

2 Junipero (Hoo-nee'pay-ro). A monument, the gift of Mrs. Leland 
Stanford, was erected (1891) to the memory of this brave and noble 
priest at Monterey on the site of his landing j^lace. 

3 San Jose (Sahn Ho-say') means " St. Joseph." 



268 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

of the system. 1 Gradually the missions decayed ; the 
natives were scattered, until in 1845 ^he property that 
had not been stolen or squandered by the officials was 
actually offered to the highest bidder. Before this step 
could be carried out, however, the flag of the United 
States was raised, and General Kearny decreed in 1847 
that the missions and their property should remain in 
the hands of the Religious Orders until the legal title 
could be decided. 

243. Discovery of Gold. — About this time the whole 
aspect of affairs in California was changed by the world- 
famous gold discovery. Some years before, a Swiss 
settler named Sutter had established an estate and 
fort on the Sacramento river in California. While one 
of his workmen, named Marshall, was building a saw- 
mill on a fork of the American river about forty miles 
from the fort, he noticed (Jan. 24, 1848) shining parti- 
cles in the mill race. He took them to Sutter, who 
tested them and found them to be gold. The secret 

1 Speaking of the work of the Franciscans, Dwindle says : " It was 
something, surely, that over thirty thousand wild, barbarous and naked 
Indians had been brought in from their savage haunts, persuaded to 
wear clothes, accustomed to a regular life, inured to such light labor as 
they could endure, taught to read and write, instructed in music, accus- 
tomed to the service of the church, partaking of its sacraments and 
indoctrinated in the Christian religion, and this system had become 
self-sustaining under the mildest and gentlest of tutelage ; for the 
Franciscan monks w^ho superintended these establishments were from 
Spain and many of them were highly cultivated men, soldiers, engineers, 
artists, lawyers and physicians before they became Franciscans. They 
always treated the neophyte Indians with the most paternal kindness 
and did not scorn to labor with them in the field, in the brickyard, the 
forge and the mill." 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 269 

could not be long kept,^ and soon a wild rush began for 
the mountains. 2 

244. The Emigration to California. — From every side, 
north and south, east and west, the miners poured in. 
Some came overland across the prairies and deserts, 
where thousands perished from thirst, the cholera, and 
attacks of the Indians ; others rounded cape Horn in 
sailing vessels, while many came by way of the isthmus 
of Panama. 

San Francisco at the time of the gold discovery 
was a collection of mud huts, with seven hundred 
inhabitants. It soon became a city of twenty thousand 
inhabitants. No less than ninety thousand immigrants 
arrived within two years of Marshall's discovery. These 
were the famous *' Forty-niners," as the miners were 
called. 

So great now became the number of settlers and so 
desperate w^ere many of the gold seekers that it became 
necessary to frame some s^tstem of laws to protect 
life and property. At first vigilance committees were 

1 " One of the workmen came to San Francisco," says H. H. Bancroft, 
and " holding up a bottle of the gold dust in one hand and swinging his 
hat with the other, passed along the street shouting * Gold ! Gold ! Gold ! 
from the American river.' . . . The judge abandoned his bench and the 
doctor his patients ; criminals slipped their fetters and hastened north- 
ward : their keepers followed in pursuit, if indeed they had not preceded, 
but they took care not to find them. Soldiers fled from their posts ; 
others were sent for them and none returned. Valuable land grants 
were surrendered and farms left tenantless ; waving fields of grain stood 
abandoned . . . and gardens were left to run to waste. The country 
seemed as if smitten by a plague." 

2 The news quickly spread to the Hawaiian islands, British Columbia, 
Oregon, Mexico, Asia, South America, and Australia. 



270 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 




appointed, and later a convention ^ was called to frame a 
state constitution. A clause prohibiting slavery was 
passed unanimously. This constitution was adopted by 
the people (November, 1849), and application was there- 
upon made for the ad- 
mission of California as 
a state of the Union. 

245. Election of 
Taylor. — The ques- 
tion of the extension of 
slavery was daily be- 
coming" more trouble- 
some. In 1848 the 
Whigs nominated Gen- 
eral Zachary Taylor, 
the hero of Buena 
Vista ; the Democrats 
nominated Lewis Cass 
of Michigan. Neither party made any references to 
slavery. The Whigs were successful and Taylor was 
elected. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Polk's administration were : 

1. The adjustment of the Oregon question. 

2. The Mexican War. 

3. The Wilmot Proviso. 

4. The discovery of ether and development of great inventions. 

5. The discovery of gold in California. 

1 Von Hoist speaks of this convention " as the most magnificent 
illustration of the wonderful capacity of this [American] people for 
self-government." 



Zachary Taylor 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 27 1 

Taylor and Fillmore's Administrations, 1849-1853 

246. The Compromise of 1850. — Scarcely had Taylor 1 
been inaugurated when there arose the question of the 
admission of California. As this state extended both 
north and south of the parallel of 36° 30', it was pro- 
posed that the question be settled by extending the 
Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific. At this time 
the balance was evenly maintained between the free and 
the slave states, each having fifteen.^ 

The admission of California as a free state would 
upset that balance and give the free states control of the 
Senate. They already controlled the House of Repre- 
sentatives. The South, therefore, opposed the admission 
of all of California as a free state and urged delay or, at 
least, the extension of the Missouri Compromise line. 

There were many other difficult problems to be 
solved. In the territory ceded by Mexico, besides Cali- 
fornia, some form of government had to be established, 
and the question of slavery there had to be settled in 
some way. Again, Texas claimed that part of New 

1 Zachary Taylor was born in Virginia in 17S4, and soon removed 
with his father, who was a Revolutionary officer, to a plantation in Ken- 
tucky. He entered the army, rose to distinction in Indian battles, and 
in the Mexican War gained fame for his successes. He was loved by 
his soldiers, who called him " Old Rough and Ready." He took little 
interest in politics and did not vote for forty years. He was a slave- 
holder, but did not desire to see the system extended to territory where 
the people opposed it. He died July 9, 1850, after a few days' illness, 
universally beloved and respected. Of his death Seward said, "I 
never saw public grief so universal and so profound." 

2 Florida, admitted in 1845, ^^"^^ offset by Iowa (1S46), and Texas 
(1845) by Wisconsin (1S48). 



2/2 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Mexico which lies east of the Rio Grande, a claim the 
New Mexicans contested. The North, too, objected to 
slavery in the District of Columbia, while the South 
demanded a better law to regain slaves that had run 
away to the North. At length Henry Clay once more 
appeared as peacemaker and proposed a scheme to 
settle the difficulties. His bill, known as the Compro- 
mise of 1850, or the Omnibus Bill, made the following 
provisions : 

1. The admission of California as a free state. 

2. Territorial governments for New Mexico and Utah 
without reference to slavery.^ 

3. The payment to Texas of ten millions of dollars 
for her claims to part of New Mexico. 

4. The prohibition of the slave trade, but not of 
slavery, in the District of Columbia. 

5. A stringent fugitive slave law. 

This compromise led to an earnest debate, in which 
Calhoun, ^ Clay, Webster,^ and Seward took leading 

1 This bill provided that the people in each territory should deter- 
mine for themselves whether their territory would be free or slave. 
This was called "popular " or " squatter " sovereignty, the word " squatter " 
meaning " settler." Lewis Cass of Michigan was the author of this idea. 

2 This was Calhoun's last appearance in the Senate. He was so 
weak his address was read for him. 

^ This was Webster's famous 7th of March speech, which sorely 
disappointed many of his friends in the North. A meeting was actually 
held in Faneuil Hall, Boston, where he was likened to the traitor 
Arnold. On the other hand, immense meetings in Boston, New York, 
Philadelphia, and Cincinnati testified to the joy of the people that the 
.slavery discussion had been apparently adjusted to the satisfaction of 
all. It was felt later by most people, however, that Webster had con- 
scientiously sought by the Compromise the preservation of the Union. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 273 

parts; the three former favored while the latter 
denounced the bill, which finally (September, 1850) 
became a law. California, under the Compromise, was 
admitted to the Union, Sept. 9, 1850.^ 

247. The Fugitive Slave Law; Personal Liberty Xaws; 
Death of President Taylor. — The passage of the Fugitive 
Slave Law aroused the deepest excitement in the North. 
According to the provisions of this law. United States 
officers on the oath of an owner or his agent could seize 
a colored person anywhere and turn him or her over to 
the claimant. Even years of residence in a free state 
gave the negro no rights whatever. As soon as the law 
was enacted thousands of negroes, therefore, fled across 
the border into Canada. The slave could give no testi- 
mony and could not demand trial by jury, while heavy 
penalties could be inflicted on any one assisting a slave to 
escape. The attempts of the officers to arrest runaway 
slaves provoked the bitterest feelings in many northern 
cities.2 In some places the captured slaves were rescued 

1 A treaty between the United States and Great Britain went into 
effect July 4, 1850. It was called the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, Clayton 
being Secretary of State and Buhver British minister at Washington. 
In its leading features the treaty provided that neither country should 
exercise any authority over any state of Central America nor any exclu- 
sive control over any ship canal that might be built, nor should any 
fortifications be erected controlling the canal. 

A convention signed Nov. 18, 1901, by the United States and Great 
Britain "provided for a complete abrogation of the Clayton-Buhver 
treaty and assured to the United States the sole right to construct and 
maintain " the canal across the isthmus. 

2 In Boston (1851) a negro named Shadrach was taken from the 
courthouse by a body of negroes and dispatched to Canada. In Syra- 
cuse a fugitive slave named McHenry was arrested. An alarm bell 



2/4 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

and sent into Canada. Friends of the slaves secretly 
helped them from city to city till they reached the 
northern border. This method of rescuing the slaves 
was called the "Underground Railroad." 

One of the worst features of this bill was, it was 
claimed, the arrest of free negroes and their transfer to 
slavery again in the South. 

The passage of the Fugitive Slave Law led, in prac- 
tically all the northern states, to the enactment of laws, 
called " Personal Liberty Laws," to protect the fugitive 
slaves. These laws in many cases really amounted to 
nullification, as their object was to defeat a national law.^ 

During these exciting times President Taylor died 
(July 9, 1850). He had been in office only sixteen 
months. Millard Fillmore^ at once assumed the presi- 
dential office. 

notified the citizens, and two thousand people attacked the courthouse 
and rescued McHenry. Similar cases occurred in Ohio and Pennsyl- 
vania. It cost the United States government one hundred thousand 
dollars to return a fugitive slave named Burns from Boston to his owner 
in Virginia. 

1 In most of these laws were provisions forbidding the use of jails 
for the detention of fugitive slaves; forbidding state judges and officers 
to aid claimants or to issue writs for the arrest of fugitives ; granting to 
the slave the right of trial by jury and an attorney for his defense, and 
punishing with severe penalties the attempt to seize a free negro and 
return him to slavery. 

2 Millard Fillmore was born in Cayuga county, NeW York, Feb. 7, 
1800. He learned a trade, and later studied law and secured a successful 
practice in Buffalo. He was elected to Congress as a Whig in 1832. 
He supported the "compromise measures" of Clay, but his signing of 
the Fugitive Slave Law won for him strong opposition in the North. 
He was nominated by the Know-Nothings for President in 1856, but 
carried only one state and retired to private life, dying in 1874. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 275 

248. Uncle Tom's Cabin; the Gadsden Purchase. — 
The intense feeling in the North against slavery was 
increased by the publication of Mrs. Stowe's Uncle 
Torn s Cabiji, a story dealing with life in the South. 
The sales of this book reached millions of copies, and 
more than any other single force its publication stirred 
up the antislavery feeling and increased the ranks of 
those opposed to the extension of slavery. The South 
maintained that the book depicted unusual and extreme 
cases and was not a true picture of southern life. 

As difficulties arose in adjusting our southwestern 
boundary, a new treaty was made (December, 1853) with 
Mexico by which the United States purchased the land. 
This purchase added about forty-four thousand square 
miles to our domain in the territories of Arizona and New 
Mexico, between the Gila^ river and our present bound- 
ary. The price paid was ten millions of dollars. It is 
called the Gadsden Purchase after James Gadsden, United 
States minister to Mexico, who arranged the matter. 

In the election of 1852 Franklin Pierce, the Demo- 
cratic candidate, received the electoral votes of every state 
except four. The Whig candidate was General Winfield 
Scott. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Taylor and Fillmore's administrations 
were : 

1. The Compromise of 1850 and slavery discussion. 

2. The Fuijitive Slave Law troubles. 

3. Tlie publication of Uncle Toft's Cabin. 

4. The Gadsden IHnchase. 

1 (;ila (llee'lah). 



2^6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Pierce's Administration/ 1853-1857 

249. The Kansas-Nebraska Bill ; the Republican Party. 

— Scarcely was Pierce inaugurated when the slavery 
discussion was once more to the front. By the Missouri 
Compromise of 1820 slavery was not allowed outside of 
Missouri, north of 36° 30'. In 1854 Stephen A. Douglas 
of Illinois introduced the Nebraska Bill to organize a 
new territory in the region north of the Compromise 
line and west of Missouri. Douglas' bill provided for 
the right of the settlers to decide for themselves whether 
this territory should be slave or free.^ This was Cass' 
doctrine of popular or squatter sovereignty, which has 
been applied to New Mexico and Utah in the Compromise 
of 1850. This Compromise of 1850, Douglas declared, 
had rendered null and void the Missouri Compromise of 
1820, which excluded slavery forever from this territory. 

He later amended his bill to provide for two terri- 
tories.'^ It is therefore called the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. 

1 Franklin Pierce was born at Hillsboro, New Hampshire, in 1804. 
He became a successful lawyer and was elected to the House of 
Representatives and to the Senate. As President he opposed all anti- 
slavery measures, being an advocate of the doctrine of states' rights. He 
supported the Union during the Civil War and died in 1869. 

2 Douglas declared that the "legal effect of this bill is neither to 
legislate slavery into the territories nor out of them but to leave the 
people to do as they please. If they wish slavery, they have a right to 
it. If they do not want it, they will not have it and you should not 
force it upon them." 

^ Kansas was to extend from 37° to 40°, north latitude, and Nebraska 
from 40° to 49°. It was thought Kansas, as it lay west of Missouri, 
would become a slave state, while Nebraska, adjoining Iowa, would 
become a free state. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 277 

The act also declared that the Missouri Compromise of 
1820 was repealed. In spite of the most earnest oppo- 
sition, the bill became a law (May 30, 1854). The 
Missouri Compromise of 1820 had been the law of the 
land for thirty-four years, and every one had felt that 
the area north of the line had been dedicated to freedom 
for all time. 

The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska^ Act upset these 
ideas, and the whole slavery question was open again for 
discussion. The great and fertile lands west of the 
Mississippi were the prize to secure which the North 
and South now entered the contest. 

An immediate consequence of the Kansas-Nebraska 
Act was the formation of the Republican party. This 
party was made up of Free-Soilers, antislavery Demo- 
crats, and antislavery Whigs, and it selected the name 
"Republican" as standing for human liberty and the 
rights of man as the Jeffersonian Republican party did. 

250. The Struggle for Kansas. — The struggle for 
Kansas was now begun. From the neighboring slave 
state of Missouri settlers poured .over the border, 
hoping by force of number to make a slave territory. 

1 It is safe to say that in the scope and consequences of the Kansas- 
Nebraska Act, it was the most momentous measure that passed Congress 
from the day that the senators and representatives first met to the out- 
break of the Civil War. It sealed the doom of the Whig party; it 
caused the formation of the Republican party on the principle of no 
extension of slavery. ... It made the Fugitive Slave Law a dead letter 
at the North ; it caused the Germans to become Republicans ; it lost 
the Democrats their hold on New England ; it made the Northwest 
Republican ; it led to the downfall of the Democratic party. — Rhodes, 
History of the United States. 



2/8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

They established the town of Atchison. But the anti- 
slavery forces were also thoroughly aroused. Societies 
were organized to send settlers to the territory, one of 
which — the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society — 
equipped a number of expeditions and established the 
town^ of Lawrence. Violence reigned everywhere,^ and 
civil war virtually ensued. Both sides were guilty of 
crimes of violence and bloodshed. The new town of Law- 
rence was burned by the slavery men, and John Brown 
made up a party and attacked a small settlement of 
proslavery squatters, murdering five of them. On 
the election (November, 1854) of a delegate to Con- 
gress the great struggle began. Armed bands of slavery 
men from Missouri roamed throughout the country 
taking possession of the polls. A slavery delegate was 
elected. Four months later (March, 1855) the election 
of members for the territorial government was to occur. 
This was the crisis of the struggle, as success for the 
slave men meant a slave state of Kansas. The slavery 
forces won, and at a convention held at Lecompton 
slavery was formally established. Congress, however, 
refused to seat the delegate that had been elected on 
the ground of fraud at the polls. The antislavery men 
held a convention at Topeka, declared the Lecompton 
convention an illegal body, made an antislavery consti- 
tution, and submitted it to a popular Vote. As no 

1 The leaders of this movement were Eli Thayer of Worcester, 
Massachusetts, and Amos Lawrence. The first town was named in 
honor of Lawrence. 

2 This struggle gave to the territory the name of " Bleeding Kansas." 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 279 

slavery men voted, this constitution was adopted, and 
thus two governments were organized. This strife 
lasted until 1858,^ when the numbers of the free men 
were so great that the slave men gave up the struggle, 
and, three years later, Kansas was admitted to the 
Union. 

251. Perry's Expedition to Japan. — One of the great 
events of Pierce's administration was the opening of 
commercial relations with Japan. At that time the 
only port open to the outside world was Nagasaki, and 
even here only the Dutch were allowed to land. In 
the summer of 1853 Commodore Matthew C. Perry, 
brother of the hero of lake Erie, anchored in the waters 
of Japan not far from the present site of Yokohama, at 
that time a collection of fishing huts. He bore letters 
to the government of Japan asking for a treaty and the 
opening of the ports. He was asked to go to Nagasaki 
as foreigners were forbidden to approach that part of 
the Japanese coast, but he refused to depart. At length 
the Japanese received his letters and promised to con- 
sider the matter. Perry replied that he would return the 
following year for an answer. He sailed to China and 
at the appointed time returned to Japan, where his perse- 
verance was rewarded. A treaty was signed (May 31, 

1 President Buchanan recommended to Congress the admission of 
Kansas under the Lecompton constitution, that is, as a slave state. As 
this constitution had been rejected by the people, it was contrary to 
Douglas' ideas of popular sovereignty, and he vigorously and success- 
fully opposed it. His action caused a bitter feeling between him and 
Buchanan, which later led to a split in the Democratic party and to 
its defeat. 



28o ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

1854), by which certain ports were opened for trade with 
the United States. This was the beginning of the won- 
drous development which Japan has made in the last 
fifty years. ^ 

252. The Know-Nothings. — The year 1854 was 
marked by the rise to power of the Know-Nothing or 
Native American party. This was a secret, oath-bound 
organization that was based on hostility to foreigners 
and especially to Roman Catholics, native or foreign.^ 

For some years immigration had been increasing with 
wonderful strides as a result of the development of ocean 
steam navigation, of the revolutions in Europe, and of the 
fearful famine in Ireland. American politics at this time 
were in a condition of unrest and turmoil. The leaders 
of the Know-Nothings took advantage of this condition 
to organize a bitter opposition to Catholics. A disgrace- 
ful period of rioting and bloodshed followed. Mobs, led 
by fanatics, attacked the churches, convents, orphan 

1 As a result of Perry's expedition, within seven years Japan made 
treaties with practically all the countries of Europe. 

2 Hostility to immigrants and also to Catholics has appeared at 
various times in our history. The Alien Act of 1798 lengthened the 
naturalization term to fourteen years. The Hartford convention in its 
proposed amendments to the Constitution included the following reso- 
lution : '• No person who shall hereafter be naturalized shall be eligible 
as a member of the Senate or House of Representatives of the United 
States or capable of holding any civil office under the authority of the 
United States." Acts of violence soon marked the progress of these 
ideas. A Catholic church in New York was robbed and burned in 
1831, and three years later the Ursuline Convent at Charlestown was 
destroyed by a mob and the defenseless Sisters and girls driven into the 
street. Ten years later its violence again wreaked its fury on Catholic 
churches and convents. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 281 

asylums, and houses of Catholic citizens. Archbishop 
Bedini, the Papal Nuncio, was visiting America at this 
time ; he was burned in effigy in Baltimore, and the militia 
was needed to quell the riots when he visited Cincinnati. 
A stone, sent by the Pope for the Washington monu- 
ment, was destroyed. Catholic churches were burned in 
Cobourg, Dorchester, Bath, Philadelphia, and Louisville, 
while the homes of Catholics were destroyed in many 
cities. At Ellsworth, Maine, Father John Bapst, the 
Jesuit missionary, was tarred and feathered. It became 
necessary to entirely suspend public worship in the 
Catholic churches of Philadelphia. The Know-Nothings 
obtained their first political successes in 1854.^ 

In that year they carried Massachusetts and Dela- 
ware, polled one hundred and twenty-two thousand 
votes in New York, and elected seventy-five members 
of the house of representatives. ^ In the following year 
they were victorious in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 
Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and Kentucky. 
In the presidential campaign of 1856 they nominated 
Fillmore and carried only one state. Lord Baltimore's 

1 At the outset they conducted all their proceedmgs so secretly that it 
was impossible to tell who were members and who were not. In answer 
to every question about themselves they answered, " I don't know," 
whence arose the name of Know-Nothings. By means of grips, pass- 
words, and countersigns the members recognized one another. By pieces 
of white paper stuck along the streets, on fences or lamp-posts, members 
were notified of meetings. Later they gave up their secrecy and held 
public meetings ; in 1856 they had a national convention in Philadelphia. 
^ In Massachusetts they elected the governor, every member of the 
state senate, and three hundred and seventy-six out of three hundred 
and seventy-nine members of the state house of representatives. 



282 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

former colony, Maryland. After this crushing defeat 
their power began to wane, and they merged themselves 
with other political parties. 

253. The Attack on Sumner ; Election of Buchanan. — 
To add to the bitter sectional feeling, an event occurred 
(May 22, 1856) which deeply moved both the North 
and the South. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was 
a leader of the antislavery forces in the Senate, and in 
an address on Kansas he made not only an attack on 
South Carolina but also bitter personal allusions to 
Senator Butler of that state. A kinsman of Senator 
Butler, Representative Preston Brooks, determined to 
avenge the insult. Walking up to the desk at which 
Sumner was at work, he repeatedly struck the senator 
on the head with a cane. Sumner fell to the floor 
seriously wounded, and for almost four years could not 
resume his seat in the Senate. The House of Repre- 
sentatives attempted to expel Brooks, but could not 
secure the necessary two-thirds vote. Brooks there- 
upon resigned and was reelected, almost unanimously, 
to his seat. 

As the time approached for the election of a Presi- 
dent to succeed Pierce the old parties were radically 
changed. The support of the Compromise of 1850, the 
P'ugitive Slave Law, and the Kansas-Nebraska Bill had 
turned thousands of northern Whigs against'' their party, 
and Webster and Clay were no longer alive to advance 
its fortunes.^ Many of the antislavery Democrats 

1 Clay died June 29, 1852, and four months later (October 24) 
Webster passed away. 



THE I'KRIOD OF UNION 283 

had resolved to leave their party because of the Kansas- 
Nebraska Bill. The new Republican party held its first 
national convention at Philadelphia, June 17, 1856. John 
C. Fremont was nominated for President. The Demo- 
crats nominated James Buchanan, who was elected with 
one hundred and seventy-four electoral votes to one 
hundred and fourteen for P'remont.^ 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Pierce's administration were : 

1. The Kansas-Nebraska Bill. 

2. The struggle for Kansas. 

3. Perry's expedition to Japan, 

4. The Know-Nothing movement. 



Buchanan's Administration, 1857- 1861 

254. The Dred Scott Decision. — Two days after 
Buchanan's inauguration ^ the United States Supreme 
Court rendered the famous Dred Scott decision. 
Dred Scott was a slave whose master had taken him 
from Missouri to Illinois, a free state, where he resided 
four years. Later he was taken to Minnesota and 
returned after a time to Missouri. Scott now sued his 

1 The Know-Nothings nominated Fillmore, who received the eight 
electoral votes of Maryland. 

2 James Buchanan was born in Pennsylvania, April 23, 1791. He 
was a lawyer and was elected to Congress in 1820. President Jackson 
appointed him (1832) minister to Russia. He was elected to the United 
States Senate (1834) and entered (1845) ^^e cabinet of Polk as Secre- 
tary of State. He became minister to England (1853), which position 
he held when elected to the presidency. He died June i, 1868. 



284 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

master for his freedom, claiming that his residence on 
free soil had made him a free man. His case reached 
the United States Supreme Court, which decided that 
Dred Scott was not a citizen and could not sue in the 
United States courts;^ that his residence on free soil 
did not make him free ; that Congress could not pre- 
vent slave owners from taking their slaves with them 





[%-%\ ^ S>^ O,^ MNSAS TERRITORY 



Area of Free and Slave States 



wherever they desired to go, as they would their cattle 
or other property ; and, finally, that the Missouri Com- 
promise was unconstitutional and therefore null and void, 
as it prohibited slavery in that part of the Louisiana 

1 The decision was read by Chief Justice Taney and was concurred 
in by all the nine justices except two. Judge Taney had freed all his 
own slaves. He was distinguished by his " accurate knowledge of law, 
clearness of thought and absolute purity of life." — Rhodes, ///story 
of the United States. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 285 

territory which lay north of 36° 30', and consequently 
prevented slave owners from carrying their property 
(slaves) into the territory. This decision opened all 
the territories of the United States to slavery, and 
made Douglas' theory of popular sovereignty a farce. 
Great indignation arose throughout the North at the 
decision, while the South believed it had won a great 
victory, and two years later, in a commercial convention 
of nine southern states at Vicksburg, the repeal of all 
laws, state or federal, prohibiting the African slave 
trade -^ was approved by a vote of forty to nineteen. 

255. The Crisis of 1857 ; New States. — Five months 
after Buchanan's inauguration an Ohio bank failed. It 
was the beginning of a widespread crisis, which in the 
main was occasioned by excessive investment in railroad 
building. Factories were closed, men by thousands 
thrown out of employment, and distress reigned every- 
where. For two years there was great suffering, but 
at last business again revived and the country became 
prosperous. The discovery of gold in Colorado, of 
silver in Nevada, and oil in great quantities in Penn- 
sylvania were important factors in restoring prosperity 
to the Union. 

At this time Minnesota was admitted to the Union 
(1858). Oregon became a state in 1859 with a consti- 
tution which excluded from the state free negroes. 

256. The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. — In 1858 the 
Democrats of Illinois renominated Douglas for United 

1 After the decision Dred Scott and his family were freed by 
their owner. 



286 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

States senator. Abraham Lincoln was chosen by the 
RepubHcans as their candidate for the same position. 
Both candidates made a tour of the state, and Lincoln 
challenged Douglas to a series of seven joint debates. 
These debates, relating as they did to pojoular sover- 
eignty, slavery, and the Dred Scott decision, aroused 
the interest of the whole nation. Lincoln was defeated, 
that is, the Democrats won control of the state legis- 
lature, which insured the election of their candidate as 
senator; but the prominence which these debates gave 
him made him a leading candidate for the nomination 
for the presidency in the ensuing Republican national 
convention. 

257. John Brown's Raid. — The bitterness of feeling 
between the slavery and antislavery men was intensified 
by the John Brown raid. John Brown had emigrated 
from Connecticut to Ohio and thence to Kansas, where 
he took part in the fierce struggles in the settlement of 
that territory. He later settled at Harpers Ferry in 
Virginia,^ and arranged a plan to seize the United 
States Arsenal, and with the aid of armed negroes 
to establish a refuge in the mountains for runaway 
slaves. With nineteen followers he seized (Oct. i6, 
1859) t^6 arsenal, expecting the slaves would rise and 
join him. His enterprise was a failure^ He was 
besieged and compelled to surrender after the death 
of a number of his followers. Brown was tried for 
murder and treason and was found guilty and hanged. 
Six of his companions were afterwards executed. 

^ This part of Virginia afterwards became West Virginia. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 287 

Brown's raid had no support at the North beyond his 
personal friends, but it created a feeHni^ of bitter resent- 
ment in the South, where it was believed to be the 
beginning of a general movement for the liberation of 
the slaves. This movement would be aided, they 
believed, by the national government if the Republi- 
cans should come into power. 

258. Election of Lincoln. — In 1861 Buchanan's term 
would expire, and a bitter struggle for the presidency 
now began. The Democratic convention met (April, 
i860) at Charleston, South Carolina, but the northern 
and southern delegates could not agree on the slavery 
question and the convention dissolved. Another con- 
vention, made up of northern Democrats, met in 
Baltimore and nominated (June 18, i860) Stephen A. 
Douirlas for President. 

The southern delegates a few days later also met in 
Baltimore and nominated John C. Breckenridge of 
Kentucky. The remnants of the Whigs and the Know- 
Nothings nominated John Bell of Tennessee. The 
Republican convention at Chicago nominated Abra- 
ham Lincoln and demanded chiefly the admission of 
Kansas as a free state, the maintenance of freedom in 
the territories, and a railroad to the Pacific, while they 
rejected the principles of the Dred Scott decision. 
Lincoln ^ was elected with one hundred and eighty 

1 Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, Feb. 12, 1S09. His 
parents were very poor. He moved with them to Indiana and later 
to Illinois. Taking advantage of what few opportunities he had, he 
studied law and was admitted to the bar. In 1S46 he was elected to 
Congress. He was a candidate against Douglas for United States 



288 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



electoral votes, Breckenridge receiving seventy-two, Bell 
thirty-nine, and Douglas twelve. 

259. The Beginnings of Secession. — The election of 
Lincoln was soon followed by the secession of South 
Carolina. A convention passed (Dec. 20, i860) an 
ordinance of secession in the following words : '* We, 
the people of the state of South Carolina, in convention 




Star of the West 
Battery 



assembled, do declare and ordain, . . . that the Union 
now subsisting between South Carolina and other states, 
under the name of the United States of America, is 
hereby dissolved." 

South Carolina thus declared itself to be an independent 
nation. Events came to a crisis rapidly ; Mississippi, 

senator in 1S58. He was defeated, but two years later was elected to 
the highest office in the gift of the people. 

Hannibal Hamlin of Maine was elected Vice President. Of the popu- 
lar vote Lincoln received 1,857,610; Douglas, 1,291,574; Breckenridge, 
850,082; and Bell, 646,124. 



THE PERIOD OF UNION 289 

Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas seceded, 
and delegates from six states gathered (Feb. 4, 1861) at 
Montgomery, Alabama, formed a new government, drew 
up a provisional constitution,^ and called themselves the 
"Confederate States of America." Jefferson Davis 
was elected president.^ United States arsenals and 
forts had been seized, but Fort Sumter in Charleston 
harbor was held for the Union by Major Robert Ander- 
son. As he was short of supplies, the federal govern- 
ment dispatched a steamer. The Star of the West, with 
supplies for Anderson. The South Carolina batteries 
at once opened fire upon the vessel (Jan. 9, 1861), and 
it was compelled to return. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Buchanan's administration were : 

1. The Dred Scott decision. 

2. The panic of 1857. 

3. The Lincoln-Douglas debates. 

4. John Brown's raid. 

5. The beginnings of secession. 

1 The leading features in which this constitution differed from that 
of the United States were : the "sovereign and independent character" 
of each state ; the prohibition of a protective tariff ; the recognition of 
negro slavery; the right of members of the cabinet to speak in Con- 
gress ; and the ineligibility for reelection of the President and Vice 
President, to whom a six-year term of office was given. 

^ Jefferson Davis was born in Kentucky in 1808, and was graduated 
from West Point in 1828. He fought in the Mexican War and served 
in both houses of Congress. He withdrew from the Senate when his 
state, Mississippi, seceded. Alexander H. Stephens was a native of 
Georgia. He was serving his sixth term in Congress when he was 
elected Vice President. 



CHAPTER XII 
THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 

Lincoln's Administration, i 861-1865 

260. Lincoln's Inaugural. — In his last message Presi- 
dent Buchanan had declared that although the right of 
secession ''was wholly inconsistent with the history as 
well as the character of the Federal Constitution," it 
was his belief that he could not lawfully coerce a state 
or compel it to stay in the Union. The nation now 
waited with anxiety for the new President. 

President Lincoln was inaugurated March 4, 1861. 
In his inaugural address he declared that he had "no 
purpose directly or indirectly to interfere with the 
institution of slavery in the states where it exists ; 
that the P\igitive Slave Law should be executed ; that 
no state upon its own mere motion can lawfully get out 
of the Union," and as he considered the Union unbroken 
and perpetual that he would '* hold, occupy and possess 
the property and places belonging to the government." 

261. Fall of Sumter. — Lincoln determined to send 
men and supplies to Fort Sumter at once. Hearing 
of this, General Beauregard immediately demanded the 
surrender of the fort. Major Anderson, who was in 
charge, refused to deliver it up, and before sunrise on 
April 12, 1 86 1, the Confederate battery fired the first 
shot at Sumter. For thirty-four hours shot and shell 

290 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 291 

rained on the fort. At last Major Anderson, seeing the 
uselessness of further delay as he was without food or 
powder, surrendered the fort and marched out with the 
honors of war. The fearful Civil War had beirun. 

262. The Strength and Weakness of the South. — Let 
us now consider the resources and advantages that each 
side possessed at the outbreak of the war. 

In the matter of population the South was at a great 
disadvantage. There were in the free states nineteen 
millions of people, in all the slave states twelve mil- 
lions. As the slave states of Maryland, Kentucky, and 
Missouri, with three millions of people, remained in the 
Union, the North had twenty-two millions, while the 
seceding states had only nine millions, of inhabitants, 
and three millions of these were slaves. The South 
had the advantage of fighting on smaller defensive 
lines and in a country with which they were thor- 
oughly familiar. They were enthusiastically united, 
because they felt they were fighting for their homes 
and against invasion. Accustomed to the use of fire- 
arms, they were skilled marksmen. They suffered 
great disadvantages because of their industrial condi- 
tion. They had few manufactories or machine shops, 
few navy yards, and no seafaring population to draw 
from in manning any vessels they might build. Their 
coal and iron mines had been undeveloped, and almost 
every article of food or clothing was imported in exchange 
for cotton. Cotton was the foundation of the wealth of 
the South. By cutting off, through the blockade, the 
export of cotton the South was dealt a vital blow. 



292 KSSKNTIALS UF AMERICAN HISTORY 

The negro slaves tilled the soil, while every white man 
went to the front. There was practically no reserve 
force, and the losses in battle told heavily, as the places 
of the men, killed and wounded, could never be filled. 

263. The Condition of the North. — The North had 
a great advantage before the world in being in posses- 
sion of the established government and the historic 
flag of the United States. It was waging a war for 
the integrity of its national life, although freedom and 
slavery were the real causes behind the struggle. It 
had a large population of free men, almost four times 
as many as the seceding states. This allowed it to 
continue uninterrupted its manufactories, and to recruit 
constantly the armies in the field. It had numberless 
machine shops, foundries, gun factories, and shipyards, 
with a large supply of skilled machinists. Its merchant 
marine and fisheries had raised up a race of hardy sailors. 
It had numerous railroads to move the troops easily 
from point to point, and soon had gunboats to ply the 
great rivers and penetrate the heart of the South. It 
quickly secured vessels of all descriptions to maintain 
an effective blockade. Both sides were mistaken in 
underrating their opponents. The North thought it 
would be a ninety days' affair. Fremont declared he 
could march from St. Louis to New Orleans with forty 
thousand men, and Sherman was derided when he said 
it would take two hundred thousand men to open the 
Mississippi valley, but events proved he was farseeing. 
The South believed that the North would not and could 
not fight ; that their mercantile life had unfitted them 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 293 

for soldiers, and that they would never be united in any 
policy that looked to the coercion of the South. 

264. The Border States ; European Hostility to the 
North. — The first great problem was the future of the 
Border States. They were slaveholding states and con- 
tained naturally many southern sympathizers. Possess- 
ing the Border States, the South could make the Ohio 
and the Potomac its northern boundary, a very effec- 
tual barrier. Of these Border States, Delaware at once 
declared for the Union; Virginia^ joined the Confed- 
eracy, but Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, for a 
time doubtful, remained loyal to the Union. The area 
of the seceding states was equal to the combined area 
of Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Spain, and 
Italy. The South had many sympathizers in Eng- 
land, and from Louis Napoleon received covert sup- 
port. The French emperor, at that time planning to 
establish an empire in Mexico, looked upon the suc- 
cess of the South as more favorable to his enterprise. 
The southern leaders believed that the manufacturing 
nations of Europe would interfere to break any block- 
ade that might be established and to secure the cotton 
so essential to their existence. In this they were sorely 
disappointed.'-^ President Lincoln sent Thurlow Weed 

1 Forty-eight counties in the western part of Virginia declared for 
the Union and asked for admission as the state of Kanawha. It was 
admitted in 1S63 under the name of West Virginia. 

- The declaration of Alexander II. Stephens at this time, making 
slavery virtually the corner stone of the Confederacy, may have tended 
to prevent the nations of ICurope that had already abolished slavery 
from openly aiding the South. 



294 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

to England and Archbishop Hughes of New York to 
France to influence pubhc opinion by presenting the 
Union cause from the standpoint of the North, and both 
rendered great service to the national government. 



Chdmbersbure/ — ^_^^j3^rk • '^ 

P E N N S f ^^h "^A ^ ■ 




SCALE OF MILES 



25 



50 



100 



265. The Plan of the War. — A glance at the map 
will show that the Southern Confederacy" was divided 
in its physical features into three sections by the 
Alleghenies and the Mississippi. The plan adopted by 
the national government was : first, to blockade the 
entire coast, thus cutting off all supplies and exports ; 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 295 

second, to capture Richmond ; third, to force the Union 
army like a wedge through the southern lines between 
the Alleghenies and the Mississippi, and thereby dis- 
member the Confederacy ; and fourth, to regain control 
of the Mississippi, cutting off the great Southwest and 
attacking the Confederacy on its left flank. Much to 
the disappointment of the United States, at the very 
outset of the war, even before a battle had been fought, 
Great Britain acknowledged (May 13, 1861) the bel- 
ligerent rights of the Confederacy. This proclamation 
forbade Englishmen from taking part in the war on either 
side. It did not acknowledge the independence of the 
Confederacy, but declared that war existed between 
the sections. France quickly followed with a similar 
proclamation. 

266. The Call to Arms. — At the news of Sumter 
the mass of the people in the North, without regard 
to party, religion, or color, rose for the defense of the 
Union. 1 Throughout the South there was an equal 
outburst of patriotism for the stars and bars, as the 
new southern flag was called. President Lincoln 
called for seventy-five thousand troops, and three hun- 
dred thousand volunteers came to the front. The Sixth 
Massachusetts Regiment was hurried to Washington. It 
was attacked on the streets of Baltimore, and several 
of its men were killed (April 19, 186 1). This was the 
first blood shed in the Civil War. It was the eighty- 
sixth anniversary of Lexington. 

1 Ex-Presidents Pierce and Buchanan stood by the Union, as did 
Stephen A. Douglas. Tyler went with his native state, Virginia. 




296 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

267. Battle of Bull Run, or Manassas Junction. — The 

Confederate government moved from Montgomery to 
Richmond, and the cry throughout the North became, 
"On to Richmond ! " General Winfield Scott was in com- 
mand of the Union army. He ordered General McDowell 
with thirty thousand men to attack the Confederates, 
under Beauregard, stationed at Bull Run,^ or Manassas 
Junction, about thirty miles south of 
Washington. The battle was fought 
Sunday, July 21, 1861. At the 
outset the Union forces drove back 
the Confederates, but the latter were 
^ , , ^, rallied by General T. J. (Stonewall) 

Confederate Flag ^ -' ^ ' 

(the stars and bars) Jackson.^ At the Critical moment 
fresh troops under General Johnston 
arrived for the Confederates and struck the Union 
forces on the flank. The latter broke and fled, 
demoralized and panic-stricken, to the defenses of 
Washington. The defeat caused dismay throughout 
the North. There was great rejoicing in the South, 
and many southerners, believing the war to be over, 
returned to their homes. 

268. Appointment of McClellan ; the War in Mis- 
souri. — The defeat was probably a blessing in disguise 
for the North. They now saw that the war would not 

1 Run means a small stream of running water. 

2 In the thick of the fight a Confederate general pointing to Jackson 
rallied his men exclaiming, " There stands Jackson like a stone wall ! " 
F'rom that time he was known as Stonewall Jackson. He was born in 
Virginia (1824), was graduated from West Point, and served for two 
years in the Mexican War. 



THI-: PERIOD OF DISUNION 



297 



be a ninety clays' affair,^ and that the South would not 
only fight but fight valiantly. Congress voted two 
hundred and fifty mil- 
lions of dollars and 
five hundred thou- 
sand men.^ General 
George B. McClel- 
lan,^ who had practi- 
c a 1 1 }^ driven the 
Confederates out of 
western Virginia, was 
appointed to succeed 
Scott as commander 
in chief of the United 
States armies. 

In the West the 
loyal citizens of Mis- 




General George B. McClellan 



souri,** very many 

of whom were Germans, had overthrown the state 

1 The feeling of the North at this time may perhaps be illustrated by 
the story that a northern ofHcer declared to General Scott, " With ten 
thousand men armed with laths, I could march to Richmond." " Yes," 
answered Scott, " as prisoners of war." 

■^ As there was practically no money in the national treasury, Congress 
increased the dutiats on imports and placed taxes on liquors, spirits, 
tobacco, bank checks, on trades, professions, and, to the amount of 
three per cent, on incomes of more than eight hundred dollars per year. 

^ General George B. McClellan was born in Philadelphia (1826), was 
graduated from West Point, and served in the Mexican War. 

■* Among the leading men who held Missouri for the Union were 
Francis P. Blair, Franz Sigel, and Nathaniel Lyon. General Lyon was 
born in Connecticut, was graduated at West Point, and served in the 
Mexican W^ar. 



298 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

government, which was strongly secessionist. The Con- 
federates were attacked at Wilsons Creek by General 
Nathaniel Lyon, but he was defeated and killed. At 
Lexington on the Missouri twenty thousand Confed- 
erates attacked Colonel James A. Mulligan, who held 
them at bay with twenty-eight hundred men until he 
was overwhelmed. The Confederates now took a stand 
at Pea Ridge in southwestern Missouri, where they were 
cut to pieces (March 7, 1862). Missouri was now safely 
in the grasp of the Union. 

269. The Blockade. — One of the most difficult tasks 
before the federal government was the blockading of 
the southern coast, a stretch of nineteen hundred miles. 
In April President Lincoln announced to the nations of 
the world that the coast from the Potomac to the Rio 
Grande was blockaded, and vessels of all nations were 
forbidden to go in or- out. To enforce the blockade 
armed vessels were stationed along the entire coast. 
This measure was of great importance^ in carrying 
on the war. It prevented the export of cotton,^ and 
thereby reduced the revenues of the South ; it rendered 
difficult the purchase of arms and munitions of war, — 
a vital blow, as the South had few gun factories or 
machine shops. To overcome the blockade fast vessels 
were built. They were called "blockade runners." 

1 It was the blockade rather than the ravages of the army that 
sapped the industrial strength of the Confederacy. — Schwab, The 
Coifederate States of America. 

2 The value of the cotton exported in 1862 was about four millions 
of dollars, a falling off in two years of one hundred and ninety-eight 
millions of dollars. 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 299 

They were mostly English, manned by English sailors, 
and made their headquarters at Nassau in the Bahamas. 

270. The Trent Affair. — In November, 1861, an event 
occurred which brought us to the verge of war with 
England. Mason and Slidell, two Confederate com- 
missioners, bound for England and France, sailed from 
Havana for Europe on the British steamer Trent. They 
were sent to secure the aid of England and France for 
the Confederacy. Captain Wilkes of a United States 
sloop of war stopped and boarded the Trent, and took 
off Mason and Slidell.^ Great indignation was expressed 
throughout England at the act, and war was imminent. 
President Lincoln disavowed the act, however, as the 
United States had always strenuously opposed the so- 
called "right of search." The commissioners were 
therefore placed upon another English ship and sent to 
England. 2 

271. The Privateers Public opinion in England, 

especially among the upper classes, in the early days 
of the Civil War, was very hostile to the federal gov- 
ernment. Many of her statesmen^ favored the Confed- 
eracy, Gladstone hailing the secession of the South 
as the birth of a new nation. Although England had 
abolished slavery throughout her ow^n dominions, her 

1 Mason and Slidell had been senators of the United States and 
were men of ability. 

2 By her action in this matter England gave up forever her earlier 
doctrine of the " right of search." It was therefore a diplomatic victory 
for our government and for Secretary Seward, especially, who managed 
the affair with great tact and ability. 

^ John Bright and Cobden favored the Union cause. 



300 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

attitude helped to maintain the institution in the western 
world. One of the most injurious consequences of the 
indifference of the English government was the building 
of privateers in English shipyards. At the outbreak of 
the Civil War our merchant vessels were sailing every 
sea, bearing merchandise to every part of the world. 
To cripple this source of revenue and strength the 
Confederate government issued " letters of marque " to 
privateers, who thereupon went forth to destroy north- 
ern vessels. The first privateer, the Sumter, under 
Captain Semmes, escaped the blockade (June, 1861), 
and for six months swept the seas, when she was block- 
aded by Union vessels in the port of Gibraltar and was 
sold to evade capture. In the English shipyards the 
building of privateers was hurried by the Confederates. 
The Florida was launched at Liverpool and escaped 
capture for a year. The fate of the most famous of all, 
the Alabama, we shall see later. In the meantime the 
Union vessels had captured the forts at Hatteras Inlet 
and Port Royal, South Carolina, thus regaining a part 
of the Atlantic seaboard. 

SUMMARY 

The War in 1861. — i. The battle of Bull Run, or Manassas 
Junction, was won by the Confederates. 

2. The Union army was defeated at Wilsons Creek, l)ut Mis- 
souri was held in the Union. 

3. The blockade was established along the southern seaboard 
and became very effective. 

4. Mason and Slidell, Confederate commissioners to Europe, 
were taken (November 8) from the Trent, and England prepared 
for war. 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



301 



The War in 1862 

272. The Plan against Richmond. — The plan of cam- 
paign at the opening of the year 1862 involved chiefly 
the capture of Richmond and the control of the Missis- 
sippi. To carry out the first part of the plan McClellan, 
with the army of 
the Potomac, was 
directed to march 



across Virginia to 

Richmond. By 

this arrangement 

the northern army 

would always be 

interposed between 

the Confederates 

and Washington. 

McClellan preferred 

to move up the 

James river. Finally it was decided to station a small 

force under Banks and Fremont in the Shenandoah 

valley to prevent the southern troops from sweeping 

through it into Washington. McDowell was ordered 

to march from Washington to Fredericksburg and 

thence to Richmond. McClellan was to sail up the 

York river to Yorktown and marching up the peninsula 

join McDowell and capture Richmond. 

273. The Peninsular Campaign. — McClellan, who had 
spent many months drilling and organizing his troops, 
landed at Yorktown with about one hundred thousand 




SCALE OF MILES 



10 



302 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



men to begin his march up the peninsula formed by the 
York and the James rivers. Here he was confronted by 
General Johnston, who delayed the progress of the Union 
forces for a month. Johnston then drew back towards 
Richmond. At Williamsburg (May 4-5) the Confederates 
again held the Federals in check. The position of the 
Union army was a most unfortunate one. The country 
was swampy, the rains had swollen the brooks into tor- 
rents, and progress was attended with great difficulty. 
At every step McClellan had to fight 
his way. With one part of his army 
on the southern side of the Chicka- 
hominy and the remainder on the 
northern side, McClellan awaited the 
arrival of McDowell, who was posted 
at Fredericksburg with forty thou- 
sand men to guard the road to the 
national capital. In the distance 
McClellan could hear the bells of Richmond and see 
the spires of the churches. As a result of the heavy 
rains, the Chickahominy suddenly began to rise and 
widened into a lake. Johnston now fell upon the 
Union forces south of the river and virtually defeated 
them at Fair Oaks ^ (May 31-June i). In this battle 
Johnston was severely wounded, and Robert E. Lee 
took command. 

In the meantime Stonewall Jackson with sixteen thou- 
sand men suddenly appeared in the Shenandoah valley 
and demoralized the Federal forces, defeating successively 

1 This battle is also called Seven Pines. 




Stonewall Jackson 




GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 303 

Milroy, Banks, Fremont, and Shields. Washington was 
thrown into a panic, and McDowell was immediately 
recalled to save the capital while Jackson hastened to 
join Lee before Richmond. This was exactly what Lee 
wanted, and he at once attacked McClellan, forcing him 
to fall back to the James river. It required seven days 
to carry out this movement, the Union forces losing 
fifteen thousand men.^ At the last fight, at Malvern 
Hill (July i), Lee was repulsed with heavy loss. The 
campaign against Richmond was a failure. 

274. Battle of Cedar Mountain ; Second Battle of Bull 
Run. — President Lincoln (July 2) issued a proclamation 
calling for three hundred thousand more volunteers. 
General Halleck, now in command of all the Union 
armies in the field, ordered McClellan to leave the James 
and, taking his forces to the Potomac, to join them to 
the army under Pope. Lee, no longer fearing for Rich- 
mond, now hastened to attack Pope, who commanded the 
Union forces in northern Virginia. Jackson defeated 
Pope's right wing at Cedar mountain. McClellan's 
troops now came up, and against the united force sta- 
tioned on the old battlefield of Bull Run (August 30) 
Lee hurled his army. Pope was defeated and retreated 

1 Lee sent General J. E. B. Stuart with one thousand cavalry to 
swing into the rear of McClellan's forces. He did so and destroyed 
military stores worth seven millions of dollars, took a number of pris- 
oners, and escaped safely. 

The Seven Days' Battles were fought at Mechanicsville (June 26), 
Gaines Mill (June 27), Savage Station (June 29), Glendale, or Fraziers 
Farm (June 30). In these battles the Confederate loss was about twenty 
thousand men killed and wounded. 



304 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

toward Washington, resigning his command, which was 
again given to McClellan.^ 

275. Battle of Antietam. — Lee now determined to 
invade the North and crossing the Potomac entered 
Maryland. Stonewall Jackson seized Harpers Ferry 
with its military stores. Eleven thousand men fell 
prisoners into his hands. McClellan hastened to head off 
Lee, and the forces met (September 1 7) at Antietam creek 
near Sharpsburg. A bloody battle was fought, each side 
losing about twelve thousand men, killed and wounded. 
Although both sides suffered equally, McClellan won 
the victory as he stopped the advance of Lee, who 
now retired across the Potomac. McClellan' s failure 
to follow up his victory by pursuing Lee displeased 
the government, and Burnside was appointed to suc- 
ceed him. 

276. Battle of Fredericksburg. — Burnside now started 
for Richmond. He reached the Rappahannock and saw 
before him, on the heights of Fredericksburg, Lee 
posted in a commanding position. The Confederates 
were strongly intrenched on a hill called Maryes heights, 
and Burnside ordered (December 13) an attack. The 
troops crossed the river and charged over the level 
plain to the foot of the hill and up the steep height, 
while the Confederate batteries tore their ranks with 
shot and shell. Among the assailants was Meagher's 

1 In this campaign General Philip Kearny was killed at Chantilly 
(September i). For his bravery in the Seven Days' Battles he had 
been made a major general. The Union loss in killed and wounded 
in these battles was about twelve thousand, the Confederate ten thou- 
sand five hundred. 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



305 



Irish Brigade. " Six times," says Longstreet, " in the 
face of a withering fire, before which whole ranks were 
mowed down as corn before the sickle, did the Irish 
Brigade run up the hill — rush to inevitable death." 
The attack was a disastrous failure, twelve thousand 
Union soldiers falling on the field. The Confederates 
lost about five thousand. Burnside retired across the 
Rappahannock and yielded his command to Hooker. 




The Monitor and the Merrimac 



277. The Monitor and the Merrimac. — When the 
Union forces abandoned the Norfolk Navy Yard at the 
outbreak of the war they sank a frigate called the Aler- 
riniac. The Confederates raised it, covered it with 
plates made from railroad iron, and named it the [7;- 
ginia. She sailed out into Hampton Roads (March 8, 
1862), and attacked and sank the Ciu/iberlimJ, whose 
shot and shell fell harmlessly on her sides. The Coji- 
gjrss was next doomed, and the flames, lighting up the 
sky, told of her fate. The Mcrriiuac now cast anchor in 
the channel for the nijjht. The news of the destruction 



3o6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

wrought by the Merrimac struck terror to the North. 
On this very night a strange-looking craft came into the 
harbor. It was the Monitor, designed by the Swedish 
engineer, Ericsson. She resembled, it was said, a 
cheese box on a raft. She was built of iron, one fifth 
of the size of the Merrimac. Her turret revolved, and 
she carried two eleven-inch guns. 

The next morning (March 9) the Merrimac steamed 
out to complete her work of destruction, when the little 
Monitor appeared. The Merrimac tried in vain to run 
her down. A fierce battle ensued for four hours, when 
the Monitor withdrew to the shallow waters offshore. 
The Merrimac, somewhat damaged, thereupon returned 
to Norfolk. Neither vessel had been able to destroy the 
other, but the Monitor had saved the Union shipping 
from destruction.^ This battle gave the death blow to 
wooden war ships and rendered necessary the entire 
rebuildinsf of the navies of the world. 

278. The War in the West ; Capture of Forts Henry and 
Donelson. — The Confederate line of defense stretched 
along the northern boundary of Tennessee from the 
Alleghenies to the Mississippi and was commanded by 
General Albert Sidney Johnston.^ It was the plan of 
the North to break this line. A point of great impor- 
tance was Cumberland Gap. To secure this, General 

1 The commander of the Merrimac was Commodore Franklin 
Buchanan ; of the Monitor, Lieutenant John L. Worden. The Merri- 
mac was destroyed (May 11, 1862) by the Confederates before Norfolk 
fell into the hands of the Union forces. The Monitor was lost in a 
gale off Hatteras (January, 1S63). 

2 General Johnston was one of the ablest Confederate generals. 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



307 



George H. Thomas ^ attacked the Confederates at Mill 
Spring (Jan. 19, 1862) and defeated them. The upper 
Cumberland was now lost to the South. To hold the 
two great rivers, the Cumberland and the Tennessee, 
was of the utmost importance to the South, as these 
water ways penetrated as far south as Mississippi, Ala- 
bama, and Georgia. A glance at the map will show that 




SCALE OF MILES 



50 



100 



200 



300 



the two rivers almost join each other in northern Ten- 
nessee and Kentucky.2 To control these rivers two 
forts were erected, Fort Donelson on the Cumberland 
and Fort Henry on the Tennessee, and against these the 

1 General George H. Thomas was born in Virginia in 181 6 and was 
graduated from West Point. His love for the Union was greater than 
his devotion to his native state. His commanding talents were of 
incomparable service to the Union cause. 

2 They are only twelve miles apart. 



3o8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Union forces were now directed with seventeen thousand 
men and seven gunboats. Grant and Foote moved up 
the Tennessee and quickly captured Fort Henry (Feb. 6, 
1862). The garrison escaped to Fort Donelson, where 
they were besieged by Grant and Commodore Foote. 
For three days the fighting was maintained. At day- 
break, February i 5, General Buckner asked for the terms 
of capitulation. Grant replied : *' No terms except an 
unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. 
I propose to move immediately upon your works." 
Buckner thereupon surrendered with fifteen thousand 
men. As the Confederate line was now moved southward, 
practically all Tennessee was opened to the Federals, and 
Andrew Johnson was appointed military governor. 

279. The Battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing.— 
Grant now took his position on the Tennessee river at 
Pittsburg Landing, a few miles from Shiloh, to await 
reenforcements from Buell. Johnston, anxious to crush 
Grant before Buell should arrive, made a sudden attack 
at sunrise, Sunday, April 6. The Union soldiers were 
driven back toward the river, losing three thousand 
prisoners. Johnston was killed, and Beauregard assumed 
command. On the following day the battle was renewed. 
Buell's fresh troops now began to arrive, and late in the 
afternoon the Confederates fell back to Corinth. The 
loss of life was appalling,^ almost ten thousand men 

1 Says General Grant : " I saw an open field . . . , over which the Con- 
federates had made repeated charges . . ., so covered with dead that it 
would have been possible to walk across the clearing, in any direction, 
stepping on dead bodies without a foot touching the ground." 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



309 



being killed and wounded on each side. On the same 

day of the battle of Shiloh the Union fleet on the 

Mississippi captured Island Number 10. Fort Pillow fell 

June 5, and the great river was opened as far south as 

Memphis. The 

Union fleet at 

once attacked 

and completely 

defeated the 

C on f e derate 

ironclads here, 

and Memphis 

fell June 6. 

With the fall of 

Memphis the 

Mississippi was 

open to Vicks- 

burg. 

280. The Cap- 
ture of New 
Orleans. — In 
the meantime 
Farragut and 
Porter had been 

sent from P^ort Monroe to capture New Orleans. This 
city, with its one hundred and seventy thousand inhabi- 
tants, its large workshops, and its commanding position at 
the mouth of the Mississippi, was invaluable to the South. 
It is about one hundred and ten miles from the Gulf 
and was defended by two strongly fortified posts, Fort 




Admiral Farragut 



3IO ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Jackson and Fort St. Philip, about ninety miles below 
the city. A raft, made of schooners joined with cables, 
had been stretched across the river to prevent war ships 
from coming up, and a fleet of armed vessels, fire rafts, 
and floating batteries was anchored above the forts. 
Although Farragut bombarded the forts for five days 
and nights, it seemed to do them no serious damage, 
so he resolved to pass them. It was necessary, however, 
to break the cables before he could get by. On the 
night of April 20 a small gunboat silently crept up to 
the line of boats supporting the cables. The boats were 
quickly boarded, the cables cut, and amid a storm of shot 
and shell the gunboat escaped. A path was now opened, 
and Farragut started up the river (April 24) at two 
o'clock in the morning, under the fearful fire of the 
forts. He 'destroyed twelve Confederate armed steamers 
and appeared before the city (April 25). New Orleans 
was delivered up, the forts soon surrendered, and the 
Union army entered the city. Farragut then sailed up 
to Baton Rouge and Natchez, both of which he captured. 
The only important posts on the Mississippi now held by 
the Confederates were Vicksburg and Port Hudson. 

281. Battles of Perryville and Murfreesboro. — The 
Confederates now determined to break through the 
besieging line and invade the North. In October 
General Bragg left Chattanooga and hurried across Ten- 
nessee and Kentucky, threatening Louisville. Buell 
pursued him, and at Perryville (October 8) a battle was 
fought. It was indecisive, and Bragg retreated in good 
order to Chattanooga. 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 311 

Grant had sent large reenforcements to Buell, and the 
Confederates thinking to overwhelm Grant's left wing 
under Rosecrans made an attack at luka (September 19) 
and at Corinth (October 3-4). The Confederates were 
driven back. Rosecrans was now appointed commander 
of the army of the Cumberland to replace Buell. At 
Murfreesboro (Dec. 31, 1862, and Jan. 2, 1863) Bragg 
and Rosecrans met, and a fearful battle ensued. ^ Ten 
thousand men, killed and wounded, fell on each side. 
Bragg retreated, and the last attempt to recover 
Kentucky had been made. 

SUMMARY 

The War in 1862. — i. The Peninsular Campaign, under 
McClellan, failed of success. Pope was defeated in his efforts to 
reach Richmond. 

2. Lee attempted to invade the North and was repulsed at 
Antietam. Burnside invaded Virginia and was overwhelmingly 
defeated at Fredericksburg. 

3. In the West the Confederates lost Kentucky and Tennessee. 

4. New Orleans fell. The entire Mississippi except between 
Vicksburg and Port Hudson was now controlled by the Union fleet. 
Of the seaboard towns only Mobile, Charleston, and Wilmington, 
North Carolina, remained under the Confederate flag. 

The War in 1863 

282. The Emancipation Proclamation. — When the war 
began it was not the intention of Lincoln nor of the 
North to attack the institution of slavery. The pur- 
pose of the North was the preservation of the Union. 

1 This is also called the battle of Stones River. 



312 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

As the war progressed, however, the antislavery feeling 
in the northern states became stronger day by day. 
The slaves were very valuable to the South, as they 
raised the crops necessary for the support of those at 
home as well as the soldiers in the field. They were 
also used extensively in war operations, digging trenches 
and raising fortifications. To destroy slavery, therefore, 
would greatly weaken the war strength of the South. 
There still remained the fear, also, that England might 
interfere in behalf of the South, her mills being closed 
for want of cotton, while tens of thousands of her opera- 
tives were almost starving. In consequence there was 
an increasing pressure upon the government to intervene 
to break the blockade. This action would be favorable 
to the Confederacy. If slavery were now abolished, the 
issue would be very clearly drawn between the North, 
establishing freedom, and the South, maintaining slav- 
ery. England would therefore find it difficult to justify 
her course in aiding the cause of slavery after she 
herself had abolished the institution throughout her 
dominions. 

On Sept. 22, 1862, Lincoln issued a proclamation 
announcing that if the seceded states did not return to 
the Union before Jan. i, 1 863, "■ all persons held as slaves 
within any state . . . the people whereof shall then be 
in rebellion against the United States shall be then, 
thenceforward and forever, free." The seceded states 
not having returned, the Emancipation Proclamation 
was issued Jan. i, 1863, declaring the slaves in all 
territory held by the Confederates to be free. The 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



313 



proclamation, however, could be carried into effect only 
as the conquest of the Confederacy advanced, 

283. The Battle of Chancellors villa. — After the defeat 
of the Union forces at Fredericksburg Burnside was 
removed, Hooker assumed command, and both armies 
went into winter quarters. In the spring Hooker led 
his forces, one hundred thousand strong, against Lee 
and Jackson, who were posted at Chancellorsville with 
forty-five thousand 
men. Hooker was re- 
pulsed (May 1-4), with 
the loss of seventeen 
thousand men. The 
victory was a costly 
one for the Confeder- 
ates, as Stonewall Jack- 
son was accidentally 
shot by his own men.^ 

284. Battle of Get- 
tysburg, July 1-3. — 
Confident now of vic- 
tory, Lee hurried past 

Hooker, entered Maryland, and crossed the line into 
Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washing- 
ton were threatened, and the people of the North were 

1 Seated on a cracker box, Lee and Jackson planned this battle 
before daybreak. It was the last council of the two great southern 
generals. After nightfall Jackson's men mistook him and his party in 
the dark for Federal cavalry and fired. Jackson fell with his left arm 
so badly injured that it was amputated. In his weakened condition 
he contracted pneumonia and died a week later. 




General Meade 



314 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



thoroughly alarmed. Hooker was removed from his 
command, and Meade took charge of the army. The 
forces met at Gettysburg. Here a fertile valley is 
bordered by two parallel ridges. The northern or 
Cemetery ridge was seized by the Union army, while 
the Confederates held the southern or Seminary ridge. 
The first day's fighting was, on the whole, favorable to 

the Confederates. The Federals, 
however, with ever-increasing new 
forces, gradually seized the best 
positions. On the third day (July 3) 
Lee decided to strike, if possible, a 
decisive blow. About midday he 
opened on the Federal lines a terrific 
cannonade from one hundred and 
thirty cannon and after an hour 
ordered a charge of Pickett's bri- 
gade, seventeen thousand strong, upon the center of the 
Union line. Onward across the plain swept the gray 
column, while against them cannon and musket poured 
their deadly fire. Pickett's ranks were torn to pieces. 
Lee, seeing the hopelessness of trying to break the 
Union lines, now fell back and retreated across the 
Potomac.^ 

285. The Fall of Vicksburg. — On the following day 
(July 4) an irreparable loss came to the southern cause 

1 It is estimated that the Union army at Gettysburg numbered about 
eighty-eight thousand. In killed, wounded, and missing they lost twenty- 
three thousand. The Confederate army numbered almost seventy-seven 
thousand, and the loss in killed, wounded, and missing was twenty-eight 
thousand. 





GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



315 



E E 



in the fall of Vicksburg. Up to this time Vicksburg 
and Port Hudson alone prevented Federal control of 
the Mississippi. Between these points the Red river 
entered the Mississippi, and through it the great states 
of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas poured supplies into 
the Confederacy. Grant had determined to open the 
Mississippi, but 
Vicksburg was 
heavily fortified 
on a bluff two 
hundred and fifty 
feet above the 
river and was 
deemed impreg- 
nable. General 
Pemberton com- 
manded the for- 
ces in defense of 
the town. Grant 
dropped down 
on the west side 
of the river and 




recrossed below Vicksburg. At Port Gibson he defeated 
the southern forces (May i) and then hastened to head 
off Johnston, who was marching to the aid of Vicksburg. 
The armies met at Jackson, Mississippi, and Johnston 
was defeated (May 14). Pemberton 's forces were now 
besieged in Vicksburg. For seven weeks the besiegers 
shelled the doomed city. Cut off from food and ammu- 
nition, Pemberton at last surrendered July 4. No less 



3l6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

than thirty-seven thousand men and one hundred and 
seventy-two cannon were deHvered up. Port Hudson 
was now helpless and surrendered four days later. The 
Union forces now controlled the entire Mississippi river, 
and Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas were virtually cut 
off from the Confederacy. 

286. Battle of Chickamauga, September 19-20. — In 
the autumn of this year Rosecrans forced Bragg to 
abandon Chattanooga. Receiving reenforcements, how- 
ever, under Longstreet and Johnston, Bragg turned on 
Rosecrans at the valley of the Chickamauga, where 
a fearful battle was fought September 19 and 20. 
The Confederates defeated the Union forces, driving 
the right wing from the field ; but the left under 
General Thomas, from this day called the " Rock of 
Chickamauga," held its ground and the Union army 
was saved. In these awful charges the Federals lost 
sixteen thousand men, the Confederates eighteen 
thousand. 

287. Battle of Chattanooga, November 24-25. — Bragg, 
confident of victory, sent Longstreet against Burnside at 
Knoxville, but he was repulsed. Bragg now besieged 
Rosecrans in Chattanooga, taking his position on Mis- 
sionary ridge and Lookout mountain, cutting off the 
Union source of supplies. The Federal army was in a 
most dangerous position, and Rosecrans was superseded 
by Thomas.^ Sherman's forces were brought from 

1 Grant's first telegram to Thomas was : " Hold Chattanooga at all 
hazards ; I will be there as soon as possible." Thomas replied : " We 
will hold the town till we starve." — Fiske. 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 317 

Vicksburg. Hooker arrived with twenty-three thousand 
fresh troops from Virginia, and Grant assumed command.^ 
The Union troops chajged (November 24) the heights 
of Lookout mountain, where Bragg's forces were posted. 
The clouds had settled over the mountain, and hence the 
engagement is called the ''Battle above the Clouds." 
The Confederate forces on Missionary ridge were also 
attacked (November 25), the Federal soldiers sweeping 
up the heights and carrying all before them. Bragg was 
totally defeated and retreated, while Sheridan pursued 
him, capturing thousands of prisoners as well as artillery 
and munitions of war. Johnston now assumed command 
of the Confederates. 

SUMMARY 

The War in 1863. — i. The Emancipation Proclamation was 
issued by President Lincoln. 

2. The invasion of Virginia under Burnside was repelled at 
Chancellorsville. 

3. Lee invaded the North and was defeated at Gettysburg.^ 

4. Bragg defeated the Union army at Chickamauga but was 
later routed by Grant at Chattanooga. 

5. Vicksburg fell and the entire Mississippi passed into the 
hands of the Union forces. 

1 In this battle, for the only time in the Civil War, Grant, Sherman, 
Sheridan, and Thomas were present together. " The Battle of Chatta- 
nooga," says Badeau, " was the grandest ever fought west of the 
AUeghanies. It covered an extent of thirteen miles." Grant had over 
sixty-five thousand men ; the Confederates had about forty-five thousand. 

2 As there were very few enlistments for the war at this time, the 
government decided to force men into the service. This was called 
"drafting." Opposition to the draft resulted in riots in New York 
City (July 13-16), which were quelled bv the troops after considerable 
bloodshed. 



3l8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



The War in 1864 

288. Sherman takes Atlanta. — The Confederates had 
now only two large armies in the field, one under Lee 
in Virginia, the other under Johnston in Georgia. 
Grant was appointed lieutenant general in command of 
all the armies of the United States.^ He now deter- 
mined to push without 
ceasing the military oper- 
ations. While he attacked 
Lee, Sherman was to 
attack Johnston, thereby 
preventing the two Con- 
federate forces from unit- 
ing at any time to help 
each other. On May 4 
Sherman began his march 
with one hundred thousand 
men. Johnston, who led 
the Confederate forces, 
slowly fell back before him, burning bridges, fighting, 
and bearing off all the provisions. He met Sherman at 
Resaca, Dallas, and Kenesaw mountain, but did not risk 
a pitched battle. Sherman on advancing was compelled 
to leave parts of his army to guard his base of supplies 
from Nashville, three hundred miles away. Johnston's 
retreat was cleverly planned, but Jefferson Davis did not 




General J. E. Johnston 



^ Only Washington and Scott had held this rank. Farragut was 
given the rank of vice admiral, a position in the navy equal to that of 
lieutenant general in the army. 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



319 



believe in the policy of constant retreat and removed 
Johnston, appointing Hood in his place. Hood at once 
attacked Sherman and was repulsed with heavy loss. 
Sherman swung around to the rear of Atlanta, and 
Hood was compelled to withdraw. Atlanta with its vast 
military stores fell into Sherman's hands September 2. 




Map of Sherman's March 

289. Thomas destroys Hood's Army. — Hoping to 
draw Sherman again into Tennessee, Hood marched 
northwestward. Sherman followed for a short distance 
and then returned. Hood, however, pushed on and 
met Thomas' army at Franklin (November 30), where 
a stubbornly contested battle was fought, Hood losing 
in a few hours six thousand men,^ and Thomas two 
thousand three hundred. Thomas now intrenched 

1 Among those killed was Major General Patrick R. Cleburne, "the 
bravest of the brave," says John Fiske, " the ablest division commander 
in all the Confederate army, west of the Alleghanies." 



320 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



himself at Nashville, where he was besieged by Hood. 
Suddenly Thomas burst out of the city and utterly 
destroyed Hood's army December 15-16. 

290. Sherman's March to the Sea. — In November 
Sherman started on his famous march to the sea. He 

cut the telegraph wires 
to the North, burned 
Atlanta, and with sixty 
thousand veteran troops 
moved onward. His 
army swept through the 
country, cutting a swath 
sixty miles wide. Every- 
thing of use to the Con- 
federacy was seized. 
Railroads were torn 
up, and the rails heated 
and bent; bridges and 
public property were 
destroyed. There was no force to oppose the invading 
column, which early in December approached Savannah. 
With the aid of the blockading fleet Sherman stormed 
Fort McAllister, which guarded Savannah, and Savan- 
nah fell. Sherman sent a telegram to President Lincoln 
(December 22), presenting '*as a Christmas gift the 
city of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns, and 
plenty of ammunition." 

291. The Fate of the Alabama; Fall of Mobile.— 
One of the vessels fitted out in England against the 
protests of the United States government was the 




General W. T. Sherman 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



321 



Alabama. Handled with great skill, and being a swift 
vessel, she did enormous damage to northern shipping, 
no less than sixty-three merchantmen falling into her 
hands. The United States war ship Kearsarge met 



Chambersburgy^ — ^ 

E N N S fj,gh 
•—Yr^-i 




SCALE OF MILES 



25 



50 



100 



her (June, 1864) off Cherbourg, France. In the bat- 
tle that ensued the Alabama was sunk, her officers 
escaping on an English yacht. In August Farragut, 
with his fleet of four monitors and twenty-one wooden 
ships, attacked the Confederate forts and war ships in 
Mobile bay. He compelled the forts to surrender, and 



322 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

destroyed the war ships. This closed the last southern 
seaport. 

292. Grant attacks Lee ; Battles of the Wilderness. — 

Let us now see what Grant was doing in the North. 
According to the plan arranged with Sherman, Grant's 
force was to move to Richmond the same day that 
Sherman started towards the sea. Grant crossed the 
Rapidan (May 4) and entered a desolate region known 
as the *' Wilderness," a tract of country covered with 
scrubby pines and thick undergrowth. Here Lee 
attacked him. The fighting was incessant. In two 
months, in the battles of the Wilderness (May 5-9), 
Spottsylvania Court House (May 9-20), and Cold Har- 
bor (June 3), Grant lost fifty thousand men. Lee's lines 
were still unbroken, however, and Grant abandoned 
the direct attack. He now marched his forces around 
Richmond, across the James, and attacked Petersburg. 

293. Sheridan defeats Early. — In July General Jubal 
Early started with twenty thousand cavalry to make 
an attack on Washington. He came within sight of 
the city and then turned into the Shenandoah valley. 
Sheridan was sent to attack him. They met at Win- 
chester (September 19), and Early was driven back. 
On October 19 Sheridan was in Winchester and heard 
the reverberation of heavy cannonading. Mounting his 
horse, he hurried to the scene of battle. He arrived 
just in time to save his troops that had been surprised 
and routed by Early. Sheridan, dashing up, turned 
back the fugitives, and soon Early was fleeing before 
the victorious troops. Grant now ordered Sheridan 



THE PERIOD OF DISUNION 



323 



to lay waste the Shenandoah valley. Everything that 
could be of any use to the Confederates was gathered 
up or destroyed. It was as if a wave of flame had 
swept down the beautiful valley. 

294. Grant before Petersburg ; the Reelection of 
President Lincoln. — In the meantime Grant was besieg- 
ing Petersburg twenty miles south of Richmond. Here 
Lee was intrenched with sixty thousand men. As 
a part of the 
defenses of 
Richm ond, 
Petersburg k 
was of the ut- Jp' 
most impor- 
tance. Grant 
tried to storm 
it but in vain. 
A mine was 
therefore 
secretly dug 
under the 
Confederate 
fortifications. 

It was exploded (July 30), and the Federals, rushing for- 
ward to enter the city, were repulsed with fearful loss. 
Grant now fell upon the Weldon Railroad, by which 
supplies entered Richmond from the South. Fierce 
fighting ensued, but Grant held it firmly. In the 
fall of 1864 the Republicans, joined by all in favor of 
prosecuting the war, renominated Abraham Lincoln 




Sheridan's Famous Ride 



324 ESSENTIALS UF AMERICAN HISTORY 

for President on the Union ticket. Andrew Johnson 
was nominated for Vice President. The Democrats 
nominated General George B. McClellan for President. 
McClellan carried only the states of New Jersey, Dela- 
ware, and Kentucky. Eleven states that had seceded 
did not vote. Lincoln was reelected. 

SUMMARY 

The War in 1864. — i. Sherman drove Johnston before him, 
defeated Hood, and took Atlanta. He then began his march to 
the sea, capturing Savannah. 

2. Thomas annihilated Hood's army before Nashville. 

3. Grant began his march through the Wilderness, fighting 
constantly, but gradually drawing in the Hnes around Richmond. 

4. The Alabama fought the Kearsarge off Cherbourg, and was 
destroyed. 

5. President Lincoln was reelected with Andrew Johnson for 
Vice President. 

The War in 1865 

295. Sherman marches northward. — One month 
after the capture of Savannah Sherman began his 
northward march across the state of South Carolina. 
Columbia, the capital, fell into his hands and was 
accidentally burned. Johnston had been again placed 
in command and tried to block Sherman's onward 
march. After entering the state of North Carolina 
Sherman met Johnston at Goldsboro (March 19). 

The end of the Confederacy was now at hand. 
The federal government held every seaport. Grant, 
Sherman, and Sheridan were drawing closer and closer 



thp: period of disunion 325 

to Richmond. The Union ranks were being filled up 
daily with fresh troops, while the southern armies 
could not replace the men that had fallen. 

296. Fall of Richmond; Lee's Surrender. — Sheridan 
had now come east from the Shenandoah valley. He 
destroyed the canals and railroads that brought supplies 
to Lee's army. At Five Forks he took five thousand 
prisoners. Lee in lengthening his line to defend his out- 
works weakened it to such an extent that Grant broke 
through the intrenchments. On April 2 Lee sent 
word to Jefferson Davis that Richmond and Petersburg 
must be abandoned, and on April 3 the Federal troops 
entered Richmond. Lee fled westward, hoping to join 
his forces with Johnston's, but Sheridan outmarched 
him and planted his troops across the route. Lee, see- 
ing his position was hopeless, surrendered to General 
Grant his army of twenty-six thousand men at Appo- 
mattox Court House, April 9. The most liberal terms 
of surrender were given. Lee was not asked to give up 
his sword nor his men their horses. " They will need 
them for the spring plowing," remarked Grant. As Lee's 
soldiers were on the point of starvation twenty-five 
thousand rations were issued to them. On April 26 
Johnston surrendered to Sherman. Jefferson Davis, 
with his cabinet, fled southward on the fall of Richmond, 
but was captured (May 10) at Irwinville, Georgia. He 
was confined at Fort Monroe for two years and then 
released on bail. He was never afterwards disturbed. 

297. Cost of the War ; Results of the War. — It is 
probable that the war cost the country the lives of 



326 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

seven hundred thousand men. The debt of the nation 
rose to nearly three bilUons of dollars, to which must be 
added the debts incurred by states and municipalities. 
When to this is added the amount paid for pensions, 
and the loss of property and wages, the total cost is 
simply beyond calculation. The war settled forever the 
slavery question, for the Thirteenth Amendment to the 
Constitution, adopted December, 1865, abolished slavery. 
It also settled the question of secession. No state there- 
after can claim the right to secede from the Union. 

298. Assassination of President Lincoln. — The joy of 
the nation at the return of peace was suddenly turned 
into mourning. On the night of April 14, 1865, Presi- 
dent Lincoln was shot in the head while in his box 
at Ford's Theater in Washington by an actor named 
John Wilkes Booth. The assassin leaped from the box 
to the stage, shouted " Sic semper tyrannis ! " ^ and 
although his leg was broken in jumping, he escaped to 
Virginia, where he was later shot in a barn.^ President 
Lincoln never regained consciousness after the fatal 
shot and died the next morning. Secretary Seward 
was stabbed while on a sick bed by a man who forced 
his way into the room. The wounds were not fatal, 
however. 

1 Stc semper tyrannis (Ever thus to tyrants) is the motto of the 
state of Virginia. 

2 A court-martial sentenced four persons to death for assisting in the 
plot to assassinate the President, and they were later executed. 



CHAPTER XIII 
THE PERIOD OF REUNION 

Andrew Johnson's Administration, 1865-1869 

299. Accession of Andrew Johnson ; Review of the 
Troops. — Within three hours of the death of President 
Lincoln, Andrew Johnson^ took the oath of office as 
President of the United States. On May 23-24 the 
armies of Grant and Sherman, a cohmm thirty miles long, 
were reviewed by President Johnson and his cabinet. 

An amnesty proclamation was issued by the Presi- 
dent (May 29, 1865), offering pardon to all former 
Confederates, except certain classes, on condition of 
their taking an oath to support the Constitution of the 
United States and to abide by the laws and proclama- 
tions made regarding slaves. 

300. Johnson plans Reconstruction. — The South was 
at this time in a most demoralized condition. ^ War had 

1 Andrew Johnson was born in North Carolina in 1S08. He was 
too poor to receive an education and became a tailor. His wife, how- 
ever, instructed him, and he rose gradually to distinction. He was 
elected congressman in 1843 ^^^ ten years later governor of Tennessee. 
He was United States senator and opposed secession so strongly that 
he was appointed military governor of his native state in 1862. He was 
elected Vice President in 1864 and succeeded to the presidency on the 
death of President Lincoln. 

2 Henry W. Grady vividly describes the southern soldier returning 
from the war to find " his house in ruins, his farm devastated, his slaves 
free, his stock killed, his barn empty, his trade destroyed, his money 

327 



328 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

spread ruin far and wide ; there were practically no state 
governments, nor revenue collectors, nor courts, and no 
mail service. Johnson sought to bring order out of chaos 
by establishing at once all the federal offices and courts. 
He also raised the blockade from the southern ports. 
Believing the power of reconstructing the states rested 
in the President rather than in Congress, he appointed 
a governor over each of the seceded states and allowed 
a convention to be called. These conventions repealed 
the ordinances of secession and agreed never to pay 
the debt contracted by the Confederacy. They also 
abolished slavery and accepted the Thirteenth Amend- 
ment. State officers and senators and representatives 
to Congress were elected. 

301. The Thirteenth Amendment The Emancipa- 
tion Proclamation of Jan. i, 1863, had declared the 
slaves to be free in such parts of the country as were 
in the control of the Confederates and had not been 
recovered by the Union forces. It did not, however, 
destroy slavery, and slaves could again be purchased. 
Moreover, some of the slave states had never left the 
Union,^ and hence the proclamation did not apply to 
them at all. To abolish slavery everywhere in the 

worthless ; his social system, feudal in its magnificence, swept away; his 
people without law or legal status ; his comrades slain-; and the burdens 
of others heavy on his shoulders. Crushed by defeat, his very tradi- 
tions gone ; without money, credit, employment, material training ; and 
besides all this, confronted by the gravest problem that ever met human 
intelligence — the establishing of a status for the vast body of his liber- 
ated slaves." 

1 Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri. 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 329 

Union forever, the Thirteenth Amendment was sub- 
mitted to the states in February, 1865. The neces- 
sary three fourths of the states ratified it, and it was 
adopted Dec. 18, 1865. The institution of slavery was 
now destroyed forever in the United States. 

302. Civil Rights Bill. — When Congress assembled 
it refused to recognize Johnson's scheme of reconstruc- 
tion and denied admission to the representatives and 
senators elected by the Southern States. Congress 
believed that the seceded states should not be allowed to 
return to the Union until the negro should be intrenched 
in his rights. What confirmed Congress in this view 
was the fact that certain Southern States had passed 
labor laws which Congress believed would place the 
negro in slavery again. By the new state constitutions 
only white men could vote or hold office. Congress 
therefore passed the Civil Rights Bill, giving to the 
negro the rights of a citizen of the United States and 
power to sue in the federal courts. This, however, did 
not make him a citizen of any state, neither did it 
give him the right to vote. The President believed the 
South would deal fairly with the ''freedmen," as the 
negroes were now called, and vetoed the bill. It was 
passed over his veto and became a law (April 9, 1866). 

303. The Fourteenth Amendment; the Freedmen's Bureau 
Bill. — To make permanent in the national Constitu- 
tion the provisions of the Civil Rights Bill, Congress 
passed (June, i S66) the Fourteenth Amendment. This 
amendment gave citizenship to the negro ; forbade, 
except under certain conditions, the Confederate leaders 



330 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

to hold office ; guaranteed the vahdity of the debt 
of the United States and forbade the payment of the 
debts of the Confederacy; the refusal of any state to 
grant the franchise to any of its citizens would result in 
cutting down the representation in Congress from the 
offending state. This amendment was adopted July 28, 
1868. Congress passed the Freedmen's Bureau Bill, 
giving military protection to the negroes and to the 
whites of the South who had opposed secession. The 
President vetoed the bill, and it was at once passed over 
his veto (July 16, 1866). 

304. The Reconstruction Acts. — The strife between 
the President and Congress had become very bitter. As 
the Republican party had two thirds majority of each 
house of Congress, it could enact legislation regard- 
less of the President's wishes. In 1867 it passed the 
Reconstruction Acts over the President's veto. These 
acts provided for the military government of the ten 
seceded states. Tennessee had complied with the 
requirements of Congress and had been readmitted to 
the Union (March, 1866). Each seceded state was now 
required to make a new constitution which should grant 
the suffrage to the negroes, and to acknowledge the 
Fourteenth Amendment. At first all the Southern 
States rejected this amendment, but finally North and 
South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas 
accepted these terms and were readmitted (July, 1 868). 

In the unsettled conditions in many of these states 
unprincipled men joined with the illiterate negro voters 
and secured control of political affairs, setting up in 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 331 

many cases governments that were a disgrace to 
Republican institutions. Enormous debts were con- 
tracted, and money was spent lavishly and corruptly. 
Many of these men came to the South with practically 
nothing except a valise or carpet bag, as it was called. 
Mence the name " carpetbaggers " was applied to them. 

305. The Tenure of Office Act; General Amnesty. — 
To decrease the power of the President Congress now 
passed the Tenure of Office Act. As the consent of 
the Senate was necessary for the appointment of certain 
officials, this act required the same consent for their 
removal. Johnson believed the act to be unconstitu- 
tional and removed Stanton, secretary of war, whom he 
cordially disliked. The Senate refused its consent to the 
removal, but the President would not reinstate Stanton. 

Congress consequently impeached Johnson in Febru- 
ary, 1868, of high crimes and misdemeanors. The trial 
lasted from March 5 to May 16, and was exceedingly 
bitter. Although the Republicans had more than two 
thirds majority in the Senate, eleven Republicans refused 
to vote for his conviction and he was acquitted.^ 

On Christmas Day, 1868, full pardon and amnesty was 
extended to all who had participated in the war against 
the Union. 

1 The vote stood thirty-five to nineteen. Eight Democrats joined 
with the eleven Republicans in voting not guilty. The President was 
acquitted by one vote. 

History has already pronounced her verdict that they [the senators 
who voted " no "] saved the country from a precedent big with danger 
and vindicated the wisdom of those who made the Senate a court for 
the trial of impeachments. — Foster. 



332 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

306. Atlantic Telegraph Cable. — The telegraph laid 
under the Atlantic in 1858 failed after a few hundred 
messages had been sent. Another cable, laid in 1865, 
parted in mid ocean. Cyrus W. Field, who was the prime 
mover in these enterprises, organized another company 
and successfully laid a cable (June, 1866). The Great 
Eastern, the mammoth steamship, was used for the pur- 
pose. Since that time a dozen cables have been laid to 
Europe, and to-day under the oceans of the world the 
messages speed on the wings of the lightning to the 
uttermost parts of the earth. 

307. Purchase of Alaska ; Treaty with China. — The 
Russian government suggested to Secretary Seward that 
it would be willing to sell its American possessions. Our 
government, glad of the opportunity to secure so valuable 
a territory, offered seven million two hundred thousand 
dollars for it. The offer was accepted, and Alaska was 
transferred to the United States, Oct. 18, 1867. 

About five hundred and thirty thousand square miles 
were added to our domain. Alaska is rich in furs, espe- 
cially of the seal, and in timber and gold. It was not until 
1 884 that a territorial form of government was framed. 

In the following year (1868) a Chinese embassy under 
the direction of our former minister to China, Anson 
Burlingame, arrived to make a treaty with the United 
States. They were most cordially received, and the 
Senate ratified (July 16) the treaty drawn up by Sec- 
retary Seward. China and the United States agreed to 
aid each other in promoting between the two countries 
good will and friendship. 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 



SUMMARY 



333 



The leading events of Johnson's administration were : 

1 . The violent quarrel between Congress and the President. 

2. The adoption of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments 
to the Constitution. 

3. The Civil Rights Bill, the Freedmen's Bureau Bill, the 
Reconstruction Acts, and the Tenure of Office Act. 

4. The impeachment of the President. 

5. The proclamation of general amnesty. 

6. The laying of the Atlantic cable. 

7. The purchase of Alaska from Russia. 

8. The treaty with China. 

Grant's Administration, 1868-1876 

308. The Alabama Claims. — While important home 
problems were to be solved, our government did not for 
an instant forget the part which Great Britain had taken 
against us in allowing the Alabama and other vessels 
to be built in her ports for the purpose of destroying 
our shipping. When the claims were first brought to 
the attention of the government of England in 1863, it 
positively refused even to consider them. Two events, 
liowever, now occurred which caused England to change 
her mind. W^ar broke out between Germany and France, 
and England, fearing she might be drawn into the con- 
flict, desired the friendship of the United States. The 
second event was a message which President Grant sent 
to Congress, asking for an appropriation to pay the claims 
of private individuals for losses from the Alaba^na and 
other cruisers. England at once saw that she would 
soon have to deal with a debt due to the United States 



334 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

government instead of to private citizens and that 
President Grant was in earnest in the matter. 

309. Settlement of Difficulties. — England therefore 
asked for a commission to settle the differences between 
the countries. This commission met at Washington and 
concluded a treaty (May 8, 1871). It was agreed : 

1. That the Alabama claims should be referred to a 
commission at Geneva. This commission ^ met at Geneva 
and decided (Sept. 14, 1872) that Great Britain should 
pay to the United States fifteen million five hundred 
thousand dollars in gold. 

2. That the fisheries dispute should be referred to 
a commission. This commission met at Halifax and 
decided (Nov. 27, 1877) that the United States should 
pay five million five hundred thousand dollars for the 
privilege of fishing on Canadian shores for twelve years. 

3. That the question of our northwest boundary 
should be referred to the emperor of Germany. He 
decided in favor of the United States, giving it *<the 
important archipelago of islands lying between the 
Continent and Vancouver island."^ 

The truly great result of this Alabama question, how- 
ever, was the adoption of arbitration instead of war for 
the settlement of differences between nations. 

1 The commission was composed of five members, named by the 
President of the United States, the queen of England, the king of Italy, 
the president of the Swiss Confederation, and the emperor of Brazil. 

2 The settlement of this question left us, said President Grant, "for 
the first time in the history of the United States as a nation without a 
question of disputed boundary between us and the possessions of Great 
Britain on this continent." 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 335 

310. Civil-Service Reform. — The first bill for the 
reform of the civil service became a law in March, 
1 87 1. This led to the appointment of a commission 
to put the law into force. An important step was thus 
taken toward securing the appointment of worthy men 
to office through competitive examinations rather than 
on the recommendation of a political leader. Not until 
the Pendleton Bill was passed (1883), however, did civil- 
service reform become an established policy of our 
government. 

311. The Transcontinental Railroad. — Until four years 
after the close of the Civil War passage across the 
plains between the Missouri river and the Rocky moun- 
tains led along one of two routes : the Oregon trail by 
the Platte river valley, or the Santa Fe trail along the 
Arkansas river to the old town of Santa Fe. The former 
or northern route was taken by emigrants intending to 
settle on the Pacific coast, especially in Oregon. The 
southern or Santa Fe trail was mainly a route of trade 
by which all the region from Santa Fe to old Mexico 
was supplied with goods from the eastern states, and in 
return furs, buffalo skins, gold, and silver were brought 
to the Mississippi valley. The Civil War had impressed 
strongly on the nation the necessity of some better 
means of communication between the East and the great 
West and California. Two companies were formed to 
build a railroad from the Missouri to the Pacific. The 
great work was finished, and the train from the East 
met the train from the West (May 10, 1869) near 
Ogden, Utah. 



336 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

312. The Great Fires of Chicago and Boston. — On 

Sunday evening, Oct. 8, 1871, a fire broke out in the 
west division of Chicago and spread with fearful rapidity. 
It leaped across the Chicago river and until Tuesday 
morning swept all before it. More than seventeen 
thousand buildings were destroyed, with a total loss of 
about two hundred millions of dollars.^ Not only our 
nation but foreign countries sent relief to the people of 
the afflicted city. A little more than a year later (Nov. 9, 
1872) the business section of Boston was destroyed by 
fire. Property to the value of eighty millions of dollars 
was swept away. 

313 . The Fifteenth Amendment ; Reelection of Grant . — 
The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution made 
the negro a voter, as it provided that no law should be 
passed to prevent citizens from voting on account of 
race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Three 
fourths of the states having approved it, it was pro- 
claimed March 30, 1870. In the following year all the 
states that had seceded were again in the Union, with 
representatives in both houses of Congress. 

At the end of his first term of office President Grant 
was renominated and was elected, ^ defeating Horace 

1 The fire burned everything in an area covering three and one-third 
square miles, rendering nearly one hundred thousand persons homeless. 
It is estimated that the indirect loss was two hundred and ninety million 
dollars. At the same time fearful forest fires swept through the tim- 
ber districts of Michigan and Wisconsin, causing great loss of life and 
property. 

2 Henry Wilson of Massachusetts was elected Vice President. Before 
the electoral vote was cast Horace Greeley died. 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 337 

Greeley, who had been nominated by the Democrats 
and liberal Republicans. 

314. An Era of Scandals. — The Civil War and the 
careless and extravagant use of public money developed 
an era of betrayal of trust by public officials. The city 
of New York was robbed of millions of dollars by the 
infamous Tweed and his associates, while the state of 
New York was despoiled by the Canal Ring, — the 
country thieves as distinct from the city thieves ; gov- 
ernment officials^ planned with distillers in the West to 
defraud the United States of the revenues on whisky, 
no less than a million and a half of dollars being stolen 
in ten months by this Whisky Ring; the company 
organized to build the Pacific railroad was shown to 
have secured legislation by bribery ; the Secretary of 
War, Belknap, was impeached for accepting bribes ; the 
Indian agents in the West robbed the Indians and 
were even aided in their rascalities by those in Wash- 
ington who should have protected the Indians. It was 
a dark picture, on the eve of the centennial of our 
independence. 

315. The '< Salary Grab.*' — Congress passed a law 
the last day of the session, March 3, 1873, increasing 
the pay of senators and representatives from five thou- 
sand to seven thousand five hundred dollars a year, at 
the same time allowing themselves the increase for the 
entire term, which was to end the following day. This 

1 Eighty-six officials under the national government were implicated 
in this corrupt affair, including the President's private secretary. Bristow, 
the honest and brave Secretary of the Treasury, exposed the ring. 



338 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

law aroused such opposition among the people that it 
was repealed by the next Congress.^ 

316. The Weather Bureau. — One of the most impor- 
tant events of Grant's administration was the establish- 
ment (1870) of the Weather Bureau.^ This bureau 
established stations throughout the country and is able 
to forecast with considerable accuracy the coming of 
storms, dangerous winds, cold waves, and heavy frosts. 
By means of signals vessels are warned when gales are 
expected. The warning that severe frosts and storms 
might be expected has saved to the farmers and to the 
shipping interests billions of dollars. Thousands of lives 
might have been lost at sea were it not for the warning 
signals displayed along the coast. 

317. The Crisis of 1873. — The amazing growth of 
industries of all kinds after the Civil War and the suc- 
cess of the first transcontinental railway led to the 
building of railways in all parts of the country. A rail- 
road — the Northern Pacific — was planned to extend 
from lake Superior to Puget sound. New enterprises 

1 In this bill the salary of the justices of the Supreme Court were 
increased from eight thousand five hundred dollars to ten thousand five 
hundred per year for the chief justice ; from eight thousand to eight 
thousand five hundred per year for the associate justices; from twenty- 
five thousand to fifty thousand per year for the President of the United 
States. The salary of the Supreme Court justices could not be reduced, 
as the Constitution provides that their compensation "cannot be dimin- 
ished during their continuance in office. The salary of the President 
also could not be reduced, as he had begun his new term March 4, 1873, 
and the Constitution provides that his salary shall neither be increased 
nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected. 

2 The organization of the Weather Bureau is chiefly due to General 
Albert J. Myer, chief signal officer of the army. 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 339 

were begun on all sides, and an era of the wildest spec- 
ulation soon developed. Unfortunately at this time 
(Sept. 18, 1873) a prominent Philadelphia banking house 
failed. At once a panic followed. Banks were com- 
pelled to suspend, the doors of factories were closed, 
workmen were thrown out of employment, and wide- 
spread suffering ensued. The crisis lasted for at least 
five years and was probably the most severe depression 
in the hi.story of our country. 

318. Financial Legislation. — In 1 873 Congress passed 
a law dropping the silver dollar from the coins to be 
minted^ and making gold the only standard of the cur- 
rency. The silver dollar at this time was worth more 
than gold and was used very little.^ Two years later 
(1875) Congress passed an act declaring that on Jan. i, 
1879, the greenbacks or paper money issued during 
the Civil War would be redeemed in gold. This paper 
money had been worth much less than gold. This 
action caused the price of the greenbacks to rise to the 
value of gold. In 1878 Congress repealed the act of 
1873, practically restoring silver to its former position.^ 

1 This was called the demonetization of silver, that is, its withdrawal 
from use as money, as the United States would no longer coin silver 
dollars. The silver dollar was used in business, but would not be 
accepted in payment of customs duties, nor in payment of the public 
debt or the interest thereon. 

2 The silver dollar at this time was worth one dollar and two cents 
in gold. 

^ This was the so-called Bland-Allison Bill, which required the gov- 
ernment to coin not less than two nor more than four millions of dollars 
monthly. A silver dollar was now worth much less than a gold dollar, 
and President Hayes vetoed the bill, but it was passed over his veto. 



340 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

On Jan. i, 1879, a gold, silver, or paper dollar was 
accepted interchangeably as of equal value,^ and the finan- 
cial credit of the nation was established before the world. 

319. The Centennial Exhibition. — In 1876 an inter- 
national exhibition was held in Fairmount Park, Phila- 
delphia, in honor of the hundredth anniversary of our 
independence. Not only all the states of the Union, 
but thirty-three foreign governments, sent exhibits that 
showed the wonderful industrial and social development 
of the world in the preceding century. About ten 
millions of people visited the exhibition. Colorado was 
admitted to the Union this year, and hence is called the 
"Centennial" state. 

320. The Indian Wars. — In 1872 trouble arose with 
the Modoc Indians of southern Oregon, who had 
undoubtedly been defrauded by government agents. 
The Indians went on the warpath, and for a year war 
was waged in the far West, until the Indian power 
was broken, and these tribes were removed to Indian 
Territory. In 1876 the Sioux (Soo) or Dakota Indians 
were asked to surrender some of their lands and to 
enter a new reservation. Their leader, Sitting Bull, 
refused and prepared for war. He was encamped on 
the Little Big Horn river. In an endeavor to surprise 
him General Custer separated himself with "his regiment 
from the main body of the army and stole around to 
the rear of the Indian encampment. But the Indians, 

1 This was called " resumption of specie payments." It was the 
first time since January, 1862, that a gold dollar did not command a 
premium. 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 341 

informed of his movements, suddenly attacked him with 
overwhelming force, and Custer and his entire command 
perished. Sitting Bull retreated later into Canada. 

321. The Electoral Commission. — At the close of 
Grant's administration the Republicans nominated 
Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio for President, while the 
Democrats selected Samuel J. Tilden of New York as 
their standard bearer. At the close of the polls Tilden 
was apparently elected by a large majority. The 
Republicans, however, claimed to have carried certain 
southern states, which, if true, would elect Hayes. 
The country was in a turmoil, and at last an electoral 
commission composed of five justices of the Supreme 
Court, five senators, and five representatives was 
appointed. Of the fifteen members eight were Repub- 
licans and seven Democrats, and by a party vote of 
eight to seven Hayes was declared elected. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Grant's two administrations were : 

1. The Alabaina awards. 

2. First law for civil-service reform. 

3. Opening of the transcontinental railroad. 

4. The great fires in Chicago and Boston. 

5. Adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment. 

6. The scandals in national and municipal affairs. 

7. Establishment of the Weather Bureau. 

8. Crisis of 1873. 

9. Financial legislation. 

10. Centennial Exhibition. 

11. Indian wars. 

12. The electoral commission. 



342 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Hayes' Administration,^ 1877-1881 

322. Withdrawal of Federal Troops from the South ; 
Labor Troubles. — The war had now been finished for 
twelve years, and in most of the states of the South 
the southern leaders had been able to regain control of 
the state governments. Federal troops, however, still 
remained. President Hayes believed no permanent 

peace could be secured in 



the South under such con- 
ditions, and he promptly 
ordered the removal of the 
troops. In the states of 
South Carolina and Louisi- 
ana the carpetbag govern- 
ments fell with the with- 
drawal of the Federal forces, 
and the South was once 
more allowed to rule itself.^ 
Serious labor troubles 
broke out at this time 
throughout the country 
among the employees of railroads, caused partly by the 
reduction of wages. Riots of a most serious nature 




Rutherford B. Hayes 



1 Rutherford B. Hayes was born in Ohio in 1822, was graduated from 
Kenyon College, and was admitted to the bar. At the outbreak of the 
Civil War he enlisted and rose to the rank of major general. He repre- 
sented his district in Congress, and was elected governor of Ohio. He 
died in 1893. 

2 President Hayes appointed as his Postmaster-General a former 
Confederate officer. 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 343 

broke out in Chicago, St. Louis, and Pittsburg, the rail- 
road station and freight houses in the latter city being 
completely destroyed. The rioters controlled more than 
six thousand miles of railway. The state authorities 
of Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Illinois, 
believing their force inadequate to quell the trouble, 
asked the President for aid. The troops at last brought 
the turmoil to an end, but not until many lives had 
been lost and millions of dollars' worth of property 
destroyed. The loss in wages was also very great. 
The strike was unsuccessful. 

323. The Bell Telephone; Edison's Inventions.— 
Although for many years the sound of the human 
voice could be transmitted from one point to another 
by means of a wire or cord, it remained for this admin- 
istration to see the idea put into practical use. At the 
Centennial Exhibition a telephone was exhibited. In 
the following year (1877) a telephone line was put 
into use between Boston and Salem — a distance of 
sixteen miles — by Alexander Graham Bell. Another 
line, operated under the plans of Professor Gray, was 
erected between Chicago and Milwaukee, a distance 
of eighty-five miles. These tests showed the practical 
nature of the telephone, so that it spread rapidly and 
is now an essential part of our business and, to some 
extent, our social life. The wire in use for the tele- 
phones in the United States alone at the present day 
would encircle the world eighty times. It is probable 
that in a few years one may speak from Boston to San 
Francisco or from New York to London. 



344 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



At this time Thomas A. Edison began his wonderful 
career as an inventor. Among the greatest of his 

inventions are the incan- 
descent electric light and 
the phonograph. 

324. The Eads Jetties; 
Yellow Fever in the South. 
— The mouth of the Mis- 
sissippi was being gradu- 
ally filled up by the vast 
amount of mud brought 
down by the river. The 
loss to commerce was as- 
suming vast proportions 
I when James B. Eads, who 
had designed the 
.^^^^..^ bridge across the 
Mississippi at St. 
Louis, offered a plan to 
Congress. He proposed 
to build jetties or banks 
through which the river 
would run with rapidity, 
and by the force of its 
own current prevent 
the sand and mud in 
the water from settling 
and filling the channel. Congress voted an appropri- 
ation, and the plan was successfully carried out. Large 
ocean steamers now reach New Orleans with ease. 




Edison and his Inventions 



THE PERIOD OF REUNION 345 

At this time the South was visited by an appalling 
visitation of yellow fever. New Orleans and Memphis 
were the chief sufferers. Aid was sent to the afflicted 
cities from all parts of the Union. 

325. Resumption of Specie Payment. — It will be 
remembered that Congress voted to pay in gold all the 
obligations of the United States, Jan. i, 1879. On that 
day, therefore, Secretary Sherman was ready to pay all 
demands in gold. Few, however, desired gold when it 
was worth no more than silver or greenbacks.^ Our 
national credit was now so secure that we were enabled 
to borrow money to pay off our debts at a much lower 
rate of interest, thus saving millions of dollars to our 
treasury. 

At the close of Hayes' administration the Repub- 
licans nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio, while the 
Democrats nominated Winfield S. Hancock of New 
York. Garfield was elected. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Hayes' administration were : 

1. Withdrawal of the Federal troops from the South. 

2. Labor troubles in the West. 

3. Development of the telephone. 

4. Eads jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi. 

5. Resumption of specie payments. 

1 " When the day (Jan. i, 1879) came, it was found that the Treasury 
was fully prepared, and the gold coins which had borne a premium for 
seventeen years of specie suspension were not now demanded even by 
those who had been hoarding legal tender notes for that express 
purpose." 



CHAPTER XIV 



THE PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 



Garfield and Arthur's Administrations, i 880-1884 



326. 



1\^ 



Assassination of the President. — President Gar- 
field^ had been in office 
scarcely four months 
when he was shot in a 
railway station in Wash- 
ington by a disappointed 
office seeker.^ He lin- 
gered until September 19, 
when he died at Elberon, 
New Jersey, whither he 
had been brought to 
profit by the ocean 
breezes. The Vice Presi- 
dent at once assumed the 

James A. Garfield office of President.^ 




1 James A. Garfield was born in Ohio in 1831 and was graduated from 
Williams College in 1856. He became a teacher and studied law until 
the Civil War, when he entered the army and rose to the rank of major 
general. He was elected to Congress in 1863 and in 1880 was chosen 
senator, but never took his seat as he was elected President. 

2 Charles J. Guiteau, the assassin, was hanged for the crime. 

^ Chester A. Arthur was born in Vermont in 1830. He was educated 
at Union College and became a lawyer. He was collector of the port 
of New York for seven years and in 1880 was elected Vice President. 

346 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 347 

327. Revision of the Tariff; Civil-Service Bill. — A 

high tariff had been placed during the war on goods to 
secure the immense sums of money necessary for miU- 
tary purposes. As these expenditures had ceased, it 
was thought unwise by many to collect so much money 
beyond the necessities of the government. It was there- 
fore proposed to reduce the tariff, and a commission was 
appointed which reported a bill that lowered somewhat 
the duties on foreign articles. The bill became a law 
in 1883. 

Another bill was passed by Congress in 1883, called 
the Pendleton Civil-Service Act, which placed the civil 
service upon a firmer foundation. It was the real begin- 
ning of the movement which has grown until, at the 
present time, over two hundred thousand persons are 
secure from removal except for cause. 

328. The Edmunds Antipolygamy Bill ; the Chinese 
Exclusion Bill. — The growth of the Mormons in Utah 
and the adjoining states and territories called public 
attention to the practice of polygamy among them 
and the necessity of its suppression. A bill to this 
end became a law, and eight years later the Mor- 
mon church abolished polygamy as a practice of their 
religion. 

The overcrowded population of the Asiatic seaboard 
of China looked with longing eyes to the fair fields of 
California and began to come in large numbers to that 
state. As a Chinese laborer worked for low wages and 
lived in a very frugal manner, the working men of the 
Pacific coast demanded a law to prevent Chinese from 



348 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

coming to our country. In response to this demand a 
law was passed in 1882 prohibiting Chinese immigration 
for a period of ten years. 

329. The Brooklyn Bridge ; Cheap Postage. — In 1883 
the Brooklyn Suspension Bridge which spans the East 
river in New York City was completed after thirteen 
years spent on its construction.^ At the opening of the 
bridge (May 24, 1883) President Arthur and the mayor 
of New York walked across to the opposite side, where 
they were met by the mayor of Brooklyn, 

In 1883 the postage was reduced from three cents to 
two, for each half ounce. Two years later the rate was 
fixed at two cents per ounce, the price at the present 
time. For this small sum a letter will go from the 
city of New York to Manila in the Philippines, halfway 
around the globe. 

330. The Alien Contract Labor Law; Exhibitions in 
the South. — Many corporations found it profitable to 
send agents abroad to hire foreign workmen to come 
to this country under contract at a low rate of wages. 
To prevent this growing evil the Alien Contract Labor 
Law was passed, forbidding the importation of such 
contract laborers. 

In 1 88 1 a Cotton Exposition was opened in Atlanta, 
Georgia, and in 1884 New Orleans invited the nations 
to a World's Exposition. The wonderful development 
which cotton had effected in the South was shown by 

1 This bridge is eight thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine feet 
long, one hundred and thirty-two feet above high tide, and cost sixteen 
millions of dollars. 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 349 

the enormous exports of that staple.^ At the same 
time the coal fields and iron mines had given life to 
new manufacturing centers like Atlanta, Chattanooga, 
and Birmingham. 

331. The Democrats regain Power. — In the national 
convention held in 1884 the Republicans nominated 
James G. Blaine of Maine for President, while the 
Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland of New York 
for the same high office. The Democrats were success- 
ful, and for the first time since Buchanan a Democrat 
was seated in the presidential chair. 



SUMMARY 

The leading events of the Garfield and the Arthur adminis- 
trations were : 

1. Tariff revision and Civil-Service Bill. 

2. Antipolygamy Law. 

3. Opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. 

4. Alien Contract Labor Law\ 

5. Expositions in the South. 



Cleveland's Administration, 1885-1889 

332. The Washington Monument and the Statue of 
Liberty. — The monument to the memory of George 
Washington was begun at the national capital in 1848, 
and the work continued for eight years, when it ceased. 
In 1878 construction was resumed under Lieutenant 

1 In 1784 about one bale of cotton was exported from Charleston, 
South Carolina. At the present time, about a century and a quarter 
later, the cotton crop of the United States is ten and one-half million 
bales, or nearly five billion pounds. 



350 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Colonel Casey of the United States engineers. This 
massive monument was finished in 1885. It rises over 
the city of Washington to a height of five hundred and 

fifty-five feet, — the highest 
monument in the world. 

The French Republic, to 
show its kindly feeling toward 
the sister republic in America, 
presented to the United 
States a bronze Statue of 
Liberty. This statue, one hun- 
dred and fifty-one feet high, 
was made by the great sculp- 
tor Bartholdi. Congress gave 
Bedloes island, a military 
post in New York harbor, 
as a site for the gift. Amid 
great rejoicing the statue was unveiled Oct. 28, 1886. 

333. Important Legislation ; the Presidential Succes- 
sion; the Electoral Count ; Interstate Commerce. — From 
1792 the succession to the presidency in case of the 
death of the President and Vice President would pass to 
the president of the Senate, and on his death to the 
speaker of the House of Representatives. By the new 
law, passed in 1886, the succession passes to the 
members of the cabinet in the order ^ in which the 




Grover Cleveland 



1 This order is: (i) Secretary of State, (2) Secretary of the Treasury, 
(3) Secretary of War, (4) Attorney-General, (5) Postmaster-General, 
(6) Secretary of the Navy, (7) Secretary of the Interior, (8) Secretary 
of Agriculture. 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 351 

departments were established. The chief reasons for the 
passage of this law were : first, the desire for the con- 
tinuity in the presidential office of the party that had 
elected the President,^ and second, the necessity of 
preventing the possibility of the country's being without 
a ruler .2 

To prevent a repetition of the troubles caused by the 
disputed election returns of 1876, a bill was passed 
providing for the counting of electoral votes. By this 
bill, all votes are legal to which both houses of Congress 
agree ; in a disagreement of the houses, those votes shall 
be counted which are certified by the governor of the 
state from which the disputed electoral votes come. 

A third law was the passage (1887) of the Interstate 
Commerce Bill establishing a commission to secure uni- 
form passenger and freight rates on the railroads between 
states. 

334. The Chicago Anarchists. — Throughout the coun- 
try at this time strikes were very numerous, especially 
in Chicago, where the workmen demanded a reduction 
in the hours of labor from ten to eight hours a day. A 
large meeting was held (May 4, 1886) at Haymarket 

1 If, for instance, the President and Vice President had been Repub- 
licans and the president of the Senate was a Democrat, l)y the death of 
the two former the entire policy of government would be changed from 
Republican to Democratic. This was not considered just to the voters 
of the country. 

2 This was a real danger. When President Garfield died there was 
neither a president of the Senate nor a speaker of the House of Repre- 
sentatives. Had Vice-President Arthur died before President Garfield, 
the country would have been without a legal ruler, a condition which is 
impossible under the new law. 



352 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

square in Chicago. So violent were the methods sug- 
gested by the speakers that the police ordered the crowd 
to disperse. A bomb was thereupon thrown into the 
group of policemen and, exploding, killed or fatally 
wounded seven and injured sixty. The leaders of the 
outrage were tried and four were hanged. 

335. Tariff Discussion. — The United States govern- 
ment at this time was receiving over one hundred million 
more dollars each year than it needed to pay its lawful 
debts. President Cleveland believed it to be unwise to 
take, largely through tariff taxation, so vast an amount 
of money from the people beyond the requirements of 
the government. He sent, therefore, a message to Con- 
gress recommending the reduction of the revenue by 
taking off the duties from many of our imports. The 
House of Representatives was Democratic and passed 
a bill reducing the duties. The Senate, which was 
Republican, refused to pass it, and the tariff became 
the leading issue in the following presidential election. 
President Cleveland was renominated by the Demo- 
crats, while the Republicans chose Benjamin Harrison 
of Indiana as their candidate, and he was elected. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Cleveland's administratiQn were : 

1. The dedication of the Washington Monument and the Statue 
of Liberty. 

2. Important legislation regulating («) the presidential succes- 
sion, (^) the electoral count, (c) interstate commerce. 

3. Labor strikes and the anarchist troubles in Chicago. 

4. The tariff discussion. 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 353 



Harrison's Administration,^ 1889-1893 

336. Oklahoma. — In 1888 Congress bought from 
the Creek and Seminole Indians a tract of land about 
forty thousand square miles in area, which formerly was a 
part of Indian Territory. 

This tract was thrown / ;;<^#**^ 

open to settlement April 
22, 1889. At noon of 
that day tens of thou- 
sands were waiting in the 
line for the bugle blast 
which announced the 
opening. Thereupon a 
wild rush took place for 
farms. Towns sprang 
up on all sides, and in 
five years there were a 
quarter of a million of 
inhabitants where formerly the prairie stretched with 
a few cattle grazing upon it.^ 

337. The Johnstown Flood ; Admission of New States. 
• — In a deep valley in western Pennsylvania lies the 

1 Benjamin Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry 
Harrison, was born in Ohio in 1833. ^^ ^^^ graduated from Miami 
College, studied law, and at the outbreak of the Civil War entered the 
army, leaving at the close of hostilities with the rank of brigadier 
general of volunteers. He was later United States senator from 
Indiana. He was defeated for reelection to the presidency in 1892 and 
died March 13, 1901. 

2 Guthrie was established in one day and by nightfall had ten thou- 
sand inhabitants. 




Benjamin Harrison 



354 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

city of Johnstown with the Conemaugh^ river flowing 
through it. The river at its headwater was held back 
by a dam. The freshets and rains of the spring so 
weakened the dam that it gave way May 31, 1889. 
The flood swept villages and towns before it until it 
struck Johnstown, where it wrought fearful destruction. 
Thousands of lives and millions of dollars' worth of prop- 
erty were lost ; but the country generously came to the 
aid of the stricken city with donations of food and 
money. 

The territories of the West were anxious to reach the 
dignity of statehood, and in 1889 North Dakota, South 
Dakota, Montana, and Washington were admitted to 
the Union, In the following year Idaho and Wyoming 
were admitted, and in 1 896 Utah completed the present 
list of states, forty-five in number. 

338. The Pan-American Congress ; the New Tariff Bill. 
— A congress, called the Pan-American, ^ was held in 
Washington in the autumn of 1889. It was composed 
of delegates from the Central and South American repub- 
lics. These delegates traversed the country from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific viewing our wonderful resources. 
The congress was called to establish peace relations and 
business intercourse between the republics of the New 
World, and resulted in the promotion of a closer political 
and commercial union between the American peoples. 

The defeat of the Democrats resulted in the Repub- 
licans gaining control of the presidency, the Senate, 

1 Conemaugh (Con'-er-maw). 

2 Pan is a Greek word, meaning " all." 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 355 

and the House of Representatives. They soon (Oct. i, 
1890) passed a law, named the McKinley Bill, which 
materially increased the duties in some cases, took off 
many articles from the free list, and added a few to it. 
It provided for reciprocity or the reduction of duties to 
countries which granted a similar favor to the United 
States. 

339. New Laws ; the Pension Bill ; the Sherman Act. 
— A new pension bill was passed, raising the number of 
pensioners to almost a million, with an expense to the 
country of more than one hundred and forty millions 
of dollars yearly. 

A new financial law, called the Sherman Act, was 
passed in 1890. It provided that the Secretary of the 
Treasury should buy four and a half million ounces of 
silver each month if that amount were offered. Payment 
was to be made in treasury notes that would be legal 
tender. This silver was not to be coined into dollars ^ 
until it was needed to redeem any treasury notes that 
might be presented. 

340. The Homestead Strike. — In the summer of 1 892 
a serious labor trouble arose at the Carnegie steel works 
at Homestead, Pennsylvania. A band of armed Pinker- 
ton detectives was sent to the works, but was fired on 
by the strikers and compelled to return. After weeks 
of the bitterest feeling the strike ended. It had a 
very important bearing on the country, for in the next 
presidential election it undoubtedly turned thousands of 

1 The bullion or metal value of the silver dollar at this time was 
eighty-one cents in gold. 



356 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

laboring men from the Republican party, which was 
identified with high tariff protection,^ to the Democratic 
party. 

The Republicans renominated President Harrison, and 
the Democrats chose ex-President Cleveland, as their 
candidate for President. Cleveland was overwhelmingly 
elected. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Harrison's administration were : 

1 . The opening of Oklahoma. 

2. The admission of new states. 

3. The Pan-American Congress. 

4. The McKinley Tariff Bill. 

5. The new Pension Bill and Sherman Act. 

6. The Homestead Strike. 

Cleveland's Second Administration, 1893-1897 

341. The Wilson Tariff ; the Columbian Exposition. — 

The Democrats, believing the result of the elections 
indicated a desire on the part of the people for lower 

1 Among the other events of this administration were : 

1. The dispute with Italy resulting from the killing of Italians in the 
parish jail of New Orleans by a mob. The chief of police had been 
assassinated, and the evidence pointed to the members of a secret society 
called the Mafia as the murderers. At the trial they were not convicted, 
and the infuriated citizens took the law into their own hands. The United 
States government paid the families of the victims of the mob, and 
Italy expressed its satisfaction. 

2. Troubles with Chili over the killing in the streets of Valparaiso 
of sailors from the war ship Balti??io7'e. There was also a dispute with 
Germany concerning Samoa, but these difficulties were at last satisfac- 
torily adjusted. 

3. The celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the inauguration 
of Washington in New York, April 29, 30, and May i, 1889. 



PERKJD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 357 

tariff duties, passed the Wilson Tariff Bill, lowering many 
duties and putting on the free list much raw material 
used in manufactures. Among the free goods were 
lumber, salt, and wool.^ 

To commemorate suitably the four hundredth anni- 
versary of the discovery of America by Columbus, a 
World's Fair was held in Chicago. It was the largest 
and most beautiful exposition ever known in the world, 
no less than twenty-seven millions of people attending 
it. Two years later a great exposition was held in 
Atlanta. The beautiful buildings and grounds and 
the interesting exhibits showed the wonderful progress 
which the South had made since the close of the war. 

342. Hawaii. — On Jan. 14, 1893, a revolution was 
begun in Hawaii to overthrow the existing monarchy. 
By the aid of the marines from the cruiser Boston it was 
successful. A provisional government was organized 
which negotiated a treaty of annexation with the United 
States. This treaty was sent to the Senate by Presi- 
dent Harrison but withdrawn by President Cleveland 
when he took office as President. 

On July 4, 1894, the republic of Hawaii was estab- 
lished and was recognized by President Cleveland. Four 
years later Hawaii was annexed to the United States. 

1 Among the provisions of the bill was a tax of two per cent on 
incomes which yielded more than four thousand dollars a year. This 
provision was declared by the United States Supreme Court to be 
unconstitutional. This bill, despite the declaration of the Democratic 
platform for a "tariff for revenue only," was essentially a protective 
tariff measure, and President Cleveland declined to sign it. He did 
not, however, veto it, and it became a law without his signature. 



358 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

343. The Bering Sea and Venezuela Questions. — One 

of the most vakiable possessions of Alaska is the seal 
fisheries. The United States claimed that the purchase 
of Alaska had given her the right to control the fisheries 
of Bering sea. England denied this and claimed the right 
to hunt for seals three miles and more from the shore. 
The dispute was referred in 1 893 to a commission which 
decided that Great Britain was right, but that the seals 
should be protected. 

A little later (1895) a dispute arose in South America 
over the boundary between Venezuela and British 
Guiana. It was believed that Great Britain was trying 
to deprive Venezuela of territory that belonged to the 
latter country, especially as gold was supposed to exist 
in the disputed region. President Cleveland, seeing 
that Great Britain showed no disposition to arbitrate 
the matter, believed the Monroe Doctrine should protect 
the weaker state. He asked Congress to give him power 
to appoint a commission to find the real facts in the 
case. Congress so voted and Great Britain soon after- 
wards arbitrated the question. 

344. The Crisis of 1893 ; the Repeal of the Sherman 
Act ; the Federal Elections Bill. — In 1 890 there began 
a business depression in Europe which would have had 
an immediate effect on the United States had not the 
crops, to a certain extent, failed in the countries of 
Europe. This caused a large export of food products 
from the United States. Soon, however, European 
nations were compelled to withdraw the money which 
they had invested in the United States. At this very 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 359 

time the silver and tariff questions were agitating the 
country. As a result President Cleveland had been in 
his seat hardly three months when a crisis swept through 
the land. It was believed the large purchase of silver 
under the Sherman Act was one of the leading causes 
of the troubles. A special session of Congress was 
called (1893), and the law was repealed, without pre- 
venting the crisis, however. 

Immediately following this crisis a great railroad 
strike occurred in the West. Four thousand workmen, 
employed by the Pullman Company, struck for higher 
wages. Riots ensued and the state and national troops 
were called out. The strike lasted three months, with a 
loss to all interested of about eighty millions of dollars. 

The Federal Elections Bill, commonly called the 
"Force Bill," which allowed the federal authorities to 
use, if they desired, military forces at the polls, had been 
the source of much bitter feeling and strife in the South. 
It was repealed in 1894, having been on the statute 
books foi* twenty-four years. 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of Cleveland's second administration were : 

1. The Wilson Tariff Act. 

2. The Columbian Exposition. 

3. The establishment of the republic of Hawaii. 

4. The Bering sea and Venezuela questions. 

5. The crisis of 1893 and the repeal of the Sherman Act. 

6. The repeal of the Federal Elections Bill. 



360 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

McKinley's Administration,^ 1897-1901 

345. The Silver Question ; the Dingley Tariff The 

chief issue in the presidential campaign of 1896 was 
the demand of the Democratic party for the free and 
unhmited coinage of silver and gold at a ratio of 16 to i. 
According to this plan a silver dollar would weigh six- 
teen times as much as a gold dollar. William J. Bryan 
was nominated on this platform. The Republicans 
opposed the free coinage of silver except by interna- 
tional agreement. They nominated William McKinley, 
who was elected. 

In the beginning of his administration the new Presi- 
dent saw the necessity of securing more revenue to meet 
the needs of the government, as our expenses were far 
greater than our income. He therefore called a special 
session of Congress, which passed a tariff act called the 
Dingley Bill. The principal features of this bill were 
the placing again of duties on wool ; hides, which had 
been on the free list for a quarter of a century, were 
again taxed ; higher duties were placed on woolens, flax, 
silks, and linens. Reciprocity was again provided for as 
well as the regulations against " trusts " or combinations 
in restraint of lawful trade. ^ 

1 William McKinley was born in Ohio in 1843. ^^ enlisted in 
the army and served through the Civil War, rising to the rank of major. 
He was later admitted to the bar and in 1876 was elected to Congress 
by the Republicans. In 1891 he was elected governor of Ohio and was 
reelected in 1893. ^^ ^'^'^^ elected President in 1896 and was reelected 
in 1900. He died Sept. 14, 1901, from the bullet of an assassin. 

2 The Dingley Bill was so named from the chairman of the Ways 
and Means Committee. It became a law July 24, 1897. 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMf:XT 361 



346. The War in Cuba ; Destruction of the Maine. — 

From 1868 to 1878 war had existed in Cuba between 
the Cubans and their Spanish rulers. In 1895 a new 
revolt broke out, and the waste of life and property so 
near our shores led many to ask our government to inter- 
fere. Our government refused to take this step as we 
were at peace with Spain, 



a friendly nation. We 
even tried, frequently in 
vain, to prevent armed 
expeditions from leaving 
our shores to help the 
insurgents. 

To see that American 
lives and property were 
secure, however, the 
battle ship Maine was 
sent to Havana. On 
the night of Feb. 15, 
1898, the Maine was 
destroyed at her anchor- 




William McKinley 



age. Two of her officers and two hundred and fifty-eight 
of her crew went down with the unfortunate vessel. 

A court of inquiry, after investigation, declared its 
belief that the Maine was blown up by a submarine mine. 
The court did not, however, lay the blame on any one. 
Spain at once expressed her regret for the sad occurrence 
and asked for arbitration. 

347. Declaration of War against Spain. — The feeling 
against Spain in the United States, resulting from the 



362 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



loss of the Maine, became so intense that Congress 
passed (April 19, 1898) resolutions declaring that "the 
people of Cuba are and of right ought to be free and 
independent ; that it is the duty of the United States 
to demand that Spain should give up Cuba and withdraw 
its forces from the island ; that the President is directed 
and empowered to use all the forces of the United 
States and to call out the militia in order to carry out 

these resolutions; that the 



United States disclaims 
any intention of control 
over said island except for 
the pacification thereof and 
asserts its determination, 
when that is accomplished, 
to leave the government 
and control of the island to 
its people." These reso- 
lutions caused the Spanish 
government to give to our 
minister in Madrid his 
passports, and April 25 Congress declared war to exist 
between the United States and Spain. 

348. Battle of Manila Bay. — The United States 
Asiatic Squadron, under Commodore George Dewey, was 
at this time in the harbor of Hongkong. At once a 
message was sent to him to capture or destroy the 
Spanish fleet in the Philippines. Dewey sailed imme- 
diately and Sunday morning. May i, before daybreak, 
he passed the entrance to Manila bay and slowly drew 




Admiral Dewey 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 363 




Rear Admiral Sampson 



near the city. When the sun arose the Spanish fleet 

was seen off Cavite/ a peninsula which is eight miles 

from Manila, across the bay. 

Dewey had four cruisers, two 

gunboats, and a dispatch boat, a 

fleet superior to the naval force 

of Spain. The battle began at 

daybreak, and the American 

squadron, passing and repassing 

five times before the Spanish 

boats, aimed its guns with deadly 

effect. Every Spanish vessel was 

destroyed, with large loss of life. 

The Americans lost neither a vessel nor a man. Con- 
gress gave Dewey a vote of thanks and a sword, and 

the President appointed him rear 
admiral. He was later given the 
highest rank in the navy, — that 
of admiral. 

349. The Santiago Campaign ; 
Hobson's Brave Exploit. — About 
this time another Spanish fleet, 
under Admiral Cervera,^ left the 
Cape Verde islands. Its destina- 
tion was for a long time unknown, 
but it was at last discovered in 

the harbor of Santiago. Before this harbor a large fleet 

of war ships of the United States now gathered. 

1 Cavite (Ca-vee'tay). 

2 Cervera (Ther-veh'rah) 




Rear Admiral Schley 



364 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



As the entrance to the harbor of Santiago^ is very 
narrow, it was thought possible to shut in the Spanish 
fleet beyond possibiUty of escape by sinking a vessel, 
called the Merrimac, at the entrance. A brave 
southerner, Richmond P. Hobson, volunteered to go on 
this perilous mission. The Merrimac entered under a 

hail of shot and 
shell from the 
batteries and was 
sunk, but not at 
a point to choke 
up the channel. 
Hobson with his 
seven brave com- 
panions was res- 
cued by Admiral 
Cervera and was 
treated by him 
with extreme 
kindness. 

350. Battles of 
Caney and San 
Juan ; Destruction of Cervera*s Fleet. — In the meantime 
our army had landed in Cuba and now drew near the city 
of Santiago. On July i and 2 the Americans attacked 
the Spaniards at Caney^and San Juan^ and drove them 
back, not without considerable loss, however. 

1 Santiago (San-tee-ah'go). 2 Caney (Cah^nay). 

^ San Juan (San Whahn'). In these battles our regular troops had 
the valuable assistance of a regiment of cavalry largely recruited by 
Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt and called "The Rough Riders." 




Rescue of Hobson by the Spanish Admiral 




THEODORE ROOSEVELT 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 365 



^ 



i.f.. 



f^' 



% 



i^^J^'- 













The Dewey Arch 



On the following Sunday, July 3, Captain Sampson, 
the commander of the blockading fleet, sailed on his 
flagship, the Nezv York, to visit General Shafter down 
the coast, Commodore Schley becoming the ranking 



366 ESSENTIALS OP^ AMERICAN HISTORY 

officer of the squadron. Scarcely had Sampson dis- 
appeared on the horizon when the Spanish fleet came 
out of the harbor. The Spanish vessels were no match 
for the powerful American battle ships with their guns 
manned by superb marksmen, and every Spanish vessel 
was quickly destroyed. Admiral Cervera and twelve 
hundred of his men were made prisoners, while the loss 
of life on his vessels had been fearful. The American 
loss was one man killed. Not a vessel was seriously 
injured. Two weeks later (July 17) the city of Santi- 
ago surrendered. Porto Rico was captured by General 
Miles with practically no resistance. 

351. Terms of Peace ; War in the Philippines. — The 
Spanish government now sought terms of peace, and 
commissioners met in Paris. On December 10, 1898, 
the treaty was signed. As a result of the war Spain 
lost Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines, and Guam 
in the Ladrones.^ For the improvements in the Philip- 
pines twenty millions of dollars were paid. The treaty 
was ratified February 6, 1899. 

The Filipinos in the meantime had organized a 
republic under the dictatorship of Aguinaldo,^ their 
military leader. They declined to recognize the right 
of Spain to sell their country to the Americans, and 
war finally broke out February 4, 1899, between ^^^ 
Americans and the Filipinos. For several days the 
Filipinos presented a strong front to the American 
troops, until Malolos,^ their capital, fell. They then 

1 Ladrones (Spanish pronunciation, La-dro'nace). 

2 Aguinaldo (Ah-gee-nahl'do). ^ Malolos (Mah-loh'loce). 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 367 

broke into small detachments and for a time maintained 
a species of guerrilla warfare. 

352. The Trans-Mississippi Exposition. — An expo- 
sition was opened at Omaha, Nebraska, June i, 1898, 
which was designed to show the wonderful progress 
made by the states beyond the Mississippi in fifty 
years. Representatives of twenty-five Indian tribes 
showed the customs and methods of living of the red 
men in the early days on the plains of the West. There 
were also exhibits of the mineral and industrial wealth 
of the great commonwealths that have been formed 
from the lands where four decades before the buffaloes 
ranged by millions. 

353. The Hague Conference. — The czar of Russia 
invited (August 24, 1898) the nations of the world 
to a conference, to secure if possible the abolition of 
war and the reduction of standing armies. In answer 
to this invitation the nations sent representatives to 
The Hague, in Holland, where the conference opened 
May 18, 1899. Many plans were adopted for relieving 
the horrors of war, and it was decided to establish an 
International Court of Arbitration, in which fifteen of 
the greater nations of the world are represented. 

354. The Gold Standard Act. — The discussion over 
the relative merits of gold and silver as the standard of 
value had been the burning question in the presidential 
election of 1896. Congress finally took up the matter 
and passed a bill making the gold dollar the standard 
of value and providing for " the maintenance at a parity 
with that standard of all forms of money issued or coined 



368 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

by the United- States." This bill was warmly opposed 
in both the Senate and House of Representatives, but 
it became a law March 14, 1900. 

355. Freedom of Trade with China. — The leading 
nations of Europe, in their desire for further colonial 
territory, secured from China on one pretext or another 
portions of her territory. It seemed probable that all 
China would be divided among the European nations, 
who would probably place heavy customs duties on all 
goods entering the ports of China under their control. 
As this would shut out our goods, the United States 
asked (Sept. 6, 1899) Great Britain, Germany, Russia, 
France, Italy, and Japan to grant free trade to all 
the world in the Chinese ports under their control. 
The nations gave immediate and hearty consent to this 
request, which secures the so-called '' open door " for 
our trade in China, ^ and in all probability will prevent 
the partition of the Chinese Empire and its conquest 
by the armies of Europe. In the presidential election 
of 1900 President McKinley was reelected. Theodore 
Roosevelt was elected Vice President. The Democratic 
candidate was William J. Bryan. 

A leading issue of the campaign was again the free 
coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to i. Another 
issue was ''imperialism." The Democrats maintained 
that the permanent increase in our military forces and 

1 By a cession signed by the native chiefs and by a treaty with 
England and Germany we secured (April 17, 1900) Tutuila, with the 
excellent harbor of Pago-Pago, and a few other islands of the Samoa 
group. 



PERIOD OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 369 



In the following year (1901) 
a law was passed to increase 
the standing army of the nation. 
According to this law the total 
enlisted force shall not exceed 
one hundred 
thousand 
men. Con- 
gress passed 
at this time 
another law 
giving the 
Pr es ident 
power to 
establish 
civil govern- 
ment in the 
Philippine 
islands. 




the establishment 
of a colonial form 
of government in 
the Philippines 
were not in accord 
with the spirit of 
the Constitution. 
The Republicans 
demanded a gold 
standard as opposed to 
free silver ; they declared 
that as soon as the inhabit- 
ants of the Philippines 
could maintain a stable form 
of government it would 
be granted to them. On 
these issues the Republicans carried the election. 



370 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

SUMMARY 

The leading events of McKinley's administration were : 

1. The Dingley tariff. 

2. The war with Spain and in the Philippines. 

3. The Trans-Mississippi Exposition. 

4. The Hague Conference. 

5. Freedom of trade with China. 



McKlNLEY AND RoOSEVELT'S ADMINISTRATIONS, I9OI- 

356. The Pan-American Exposition ; Assassination of 
President McKinley. — In the spring of 1901 the Pan- 
American Exposition was opened in Buffalo. The pur- 
pose of the exposition was to show the development of the 
states of North, Central, and South America, and to join 
in bonds of friendship the republics of the New World. 

On September 6, while President McKinley was giving 
a public reception, he was shot by an anarchist.^ He 
died September 14 and was buried at Canton, Ohio, 
while the whole nation grieved the loss of its foremost 
citizen. Vice President Roosevelt ^ at once assumed the 
office of President. 

1 Leon F. Czolgosz (Chorgosh) was executed in the state prison at 
Auburn, New York, Oct. 29, 1901. 

2 Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City, Oct. 27, 1858, 
and was graduated from Harvard University in 1880. He served in the 
legislature of the state of New York for three years*' and in 1889 was 
appointed United States civil-service commissioner. He became later 
police commissioner of New York, and in 1897 was made Assistant 
Secretary of the Navy. At the outbreak of the war with Spain he 
resigned this office to organize the " Rough Riders." At the close of 
the war he was elected (1898) governor of New York. Two years 
later he was elected Vice President of the United States. 



APPENDIX 



SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS AND TOPICS 

Sections 1-20. Who were the Northmen ? Find their home on 
the map. Describe the voyage of Leif Ericson. Were there any lasting 
results from these voyages ? What was the condition of Europe in the 
fifteenth century ? Tell of the routes to the Indies. Why was a new 
route necessary .!* What knowledge of the East did Europe possess at 
this time.-* Marco Polo and his book. In what country was Columbus 
born? Under what flag did he sail .^ Why did he wish to sail west- 
ward? The great journey of Columbus. How many voyages did he 
make ? John Cabot and his voyages. W^hat country secured a claim 
to America from his discoveries ? What was the Line of Demarcation ? 
How did Portugal secure Brazil ? What did Vasco da Gama's voyage 
prove ? The name of America. Who discovered a water route from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific ? Describe Magellan's great voyage. Which 
of the discoverers were Italian ? What religion did they profess ? 
Trace on the map the routes of Columbus, Cabot, Cabral, Magellan, 
and Vasco da Gama. 

21-37. W^hat was the object of Ponce de Leon's voyage ? Why 
was Florida so named ? Cortes and Mexico. Tell about De Ayllon's 
expedition. De Soto and his journey. With what great river is his 
name associated ? Tell about Coronado, De Narvaez, De Vaca, and 
Father Mark. Which is the oldest city in the United States ? Under 
what flag did Verrazano sail? Who was Cartier, and where did he 
explore ? What was the first permanent French settlement in America ? 
Champlain and his great explorations. Where did the French settle in 
Florida ? Were they successful ? Tell of Frobisher, Drake, and Gil- 
bert. Under what flag did they sail ? Describe the Raleigh colonies. 
Were they successful ? Where did Gosnold and Pring explore? 

38-42. What religious orders attempted to convert and civilize the 
Indians in Florida? Tell about the Huron missions and the Jesuits. 
Where did Father Menard found a mission ? Describe the Maine 
missions and the work of Father Rale. 

43-46. Why were the Indians so named ? Describe their appear- 
ance. Find on the map the principal Indian families or groups. What 
was the clan ? the totem ? Habits and industries of the Indians. Tell 
about wampum. What did the white man learn from the Indian ? 

47-54. What territory was granted by charter to the London Company? 
to the Plymouth Company ? What were some of the leading features of 

371 



372 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the charter ? For what is Jamestown noted ? Why was it so named ? 
John Smith and the Jamestown colony. Who were th^Cavaliers ? The 
introduction of slavery. Tell of the establishment of representative 
government. Was this important ? What caused the Bacon rebellion?- 

55-61. To what nation did Henry Hudson belong? Under what 
flag did he sail? Describe his voyage. What was he trying to find? 
What great river did he explore? The Dutch West India Company. 
What did the Dutch name the country? Where were the first Dutch 
settlements ? Tell about the purchase of Manhattan. The patroons. 
Tell about Peter Stuyvesant and his relations with the Swedes and Eng- 
lish. How did the English finally obtain this province ? Why was it 
named New York ? Who was Thomas Dongan ? Describe his first 
legislative assembly and his Charter of Liberties. What was the 
Leisler rebellion ? 

62-63. Why was New Jersey so named ? Who first settled it ? 
Describe the grant to Berkeley and Carteret. East and West Jersey. 
Where was the first English settlement? Who were the Quakers? 
When was New Jersey united to New York ? When did it become a 
separate royal province ? 

64-72. Who were the I'ilgrims ? Why did they come to America? 
The Mayflower at Plymouth. Describe the relations between the Pil- 
grims and the Indians. What was the town meeting? What finally 
became of the Plymouth colony? Who founded the Massachusetts 
Bay colony? Where was the first settlement in this colony? Describe 
the founding of Boston. P.oger Williams and the Puritans. Describe 
the New England confederacy. What was the result of " King " 
Philip's War? When did the colonies of Massachusetts bay and Ply- 
mouth become one province? Was religious freedom allowed in these 
colonies ? 

73-74. Describe the grant to Gorges and Mason. Tell of the first 
settlements in New Hampshire. With what colony was New Hamp- 
shire frequently united? When did it become a royal colony? By 
whom was Londonderry settled ? Name an early settlement in Maine. 
With what colony was Maine joined ? When was it finally separated ? 

75-80. What title did the Dutch have to Connecticut ? Describe 
the grant to Lord Say and Lord Brooke. The migration to Connecti- 
cut. What caused it? What towns were founded? What is the 
importance of the Connecticut constitution ? Describe the New 
Haven colony. The Pequot War. What was the result of this war ? 
Governor Andros and the charter. 

81-86. Describe the position of Catholics in England. What did 
Lord Baltimore wish to do ? The Maryland charter. Where was the 
first settlement ? Describe the Toleration Act. What was the Clay- 
borne rebellion ? What happened to Maryland when William and 
Mary ascended the throne of England ? 

87-89. Who was Roger Williams ? What was his purpose in 
founding Providence ? Religious toleration. Tell about the other 
settlements in Rhode Island. 



APPENDIX 373 

90-91. Where was the first settlement in Delaware? By whom 
was it made ? Tell about the Dutch and Delaware. Describe the 
English conquest of Delaware. 

92-94. To whom was Carolina granted. Describe Locke's Grand 
Model. When was the province divided .-' 

95-96. How did Penn secure his land in America ? What does Penn- 
sylvania mean ? Describe the first settlement. Penn and the Indians. 

97-99. What was Oglethorpe's purpose in founding Georgia? 
Describe the trouble with Spain. The founding of vSavannah. Was 
Oglethorpe's plan successful ? How did Georgia become a royal colony ? 

100-103. Who first explored the West ? Find on the map the 
French missions. Describe Father Marquette's exploration of the 
Mississippi. Who was La Salle ? Tell about his wonderful journey. 
What did he name the country? Who founded New Orleans? With 
what great city is Cadillac's name connected ? What part of the 
country did the French claim ? What great rivers did they hold ? 

104-118. How many wars were there between the French and 
English in America? What was the cause of King William's War? 
Had it any lasting results? When did it end? What was the result 
of the War of the Spanish Succession ? By what other name is it 
known ? What was the third war between the French and the Eng- 
lish ? When did the last war begin ? Trace on the map the French 
forts. The Ohio Company. What was the importance of Fort 
Duquesne ? What city now stands on its site ? Describe Washing- 
ton's first military experience. What was the Albany convention ? 
Tell of the expulson of the Acadians. Describe the fall of Fort 
William Henry. When did the English prospects become brighter ? 
What was the result of the battle on the Plains of Abraham ? Show 
on the map the possessions of England in 1763. What did Pontiac try 
to do ? What was the Quebec Act ? 

119-123. Which were the charter colonies ? the proprietary colonies ? 
the royal colonies? What was the difference in the three forms of 
government? 

124-145. What was the direct cause of the Revolutionary War? 
Give the leading features of the Navigation Acts, the Stamp Act, the 
Townshend Acts. When and where was the First Continental Congress 
held ? When was the battle of Lexington and what were its results ? 
When was the Second Continental Congress ? Tell about Montgomery 
at Quebec. Describe the battle of Bunker Hill. What was the 
Declaration of Independence ? What were the results of the battles 
of Long Island, Trenton, and Princeton? Who was Robert Morris? 

146-163. What aid did France render us ? W^ho were Lafayette, 
Rochambeau, Pulaski, and Steuben ? What was the importance of 
Burgoyne's surrender? Describe the treason of Arnold. Tell about 
Cornwallis and Greene in North Carolina. The surrender of York- 
town; its results. When was the treaty of peace signed? What was 
the Northwest Territory? Where was the new Constitution framed? 
What were some of its chief features ? 



374 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

164-166. What geographical divisions are there in the United 
States? Describe the effect of the physical features on the settlement 
of the country. Tell about the resources of the United States. 

167-177. Where was Washington inaugurated? Where was the 
national capital? What city became the capital ift 1791? What 
important financial measures were adopted ? Who took a leading part 
in these measures? Who invented the cotton gin? Why was this an 
important invention ? Tell about " Citizen " Genet. Why was Jay's 
treaty unpopular? 

178-182. Of what party was Adams the candidate ? What were 
the X, Y, Z papers ? Tell about the trouble with France. Why did 
France expect us to aid her? What were the Alien and Sedition 
Laws? What was the significance of the Virginia and Kentucky 
resolutions ? What was the difference between the Federalists and 
the Republicans ? 

183-191. To what party did Jefferson belong? What was the 
greatest event of his administration ? Why did Napoleon desire to sell 
to the United States the territory of Louisiana ? Tell about Lewis 
and Clark's expedition. What difficulty arose between England and 
France ? Describe the Embargo and Non-Intercourse Acts. Tell 
about Fulton's great invention. What action did Congress take on 
the slavery question at this time ? 

192-203. How did the wars between England and France affect 
us? What was the Tecumseh conspiracy? Tell about the battle of 
Tippecanoe. What were the causes of the War of 1812? What was 
the objective point of the war? Tell about Hull's surrender. The 
Constitution and the Giierriere. Describe the battles of Chippewa and 
Lundys Lane. Tell of McDonough's great victory. Who won the 
battle of lake Erie ? Describe the burning of Washington. When 
was the battle of New Orleans? Who led the American forces to 
victory? What were the results of the war? What did the Hartford 
convention aim to do? What was its chief result? 

204-209. What was Monroe's administration called? What ter- 
ritory did we acquire during his presidency ? Give a sketch of the 
history of Florida up to the time of its purchase by us. What was the 
Missouri Compromise? WHiat is the Monroe Doctrine ? What caused 
it to be proclaimed ? Tell about Lafayette's visit. Emigration to the 
West. 

210-211. What happened in the election of 1824 ? The tariff 
question. Tell about the Erie canal and its results. Where was the 
first railroad in America ? 

212-217. What was President Jackson's policy in regard to office- 
holders ? Why did he end the United States Bank? South Carolina 
and nullification. Tell about Webster and Hayne. How did the Demo- 
crats differ from the Whigs in regard to the doctrine of states' rights ? 

218-223. What caused the crisis of 1837 ? What financial meas- 
ure did the government adopt ? Who were the Mormons ? Tell about 
the development of the express business. 



APPENDIX 375 

224-229. How long did Harrison live after his inauguration ? Who 
succeeded to the presidency ? Tell about the Webster-Ashburton treaty. 
What was the cause of the Dorr rebellion? The electric telegraph. 
Tell about the annexation of Texas. 

230-245. What was the Oregon question .'' Give the cause of the 
Mexican War. What were the principal battles? What territory was 
ceded to the United States as a result of this war? What states 
and territories have been made from the ceded section? What was 
the Wilmot Proviso? Tell about the discovery of gold. By what 
party was Taylor elected ? 

246-248. What compromise did Clay propose in 1850? Tell about 
the Fugitive Slave Law. What was the influence of Uncle Totti''s 
Cabin ? What was the Gadsden Purchase ? 

249-253. Describe the provisions and results of the Kansas-Nebraska 
Bill. Tell about Perry and Japan. Who were the Know-Nothings ? 

254-259. What was the effect of the Dred Scott decision ? What was 
the cause of the crisis of 1857? What was John Brown's raid? What 
were the results of the election of i860? Tell about the beginnings of 
secession. Which was the first state to secede from the Union? 

260-281. How many states seceded ? What advantages in respect 
to the war had the North ? What advantages had the South ? What 
slave states remained in the Union ? What part of Virginia refused to 
secede ? Where was the first Confederate capital ? What city later 
became the capital ? Tell about the battle of Bull Run. What was 
the blockade ? The Tretit affair. Describe McClellan's peninsular 
campaign. Give an account of the battle of Cedar mountain and 
the second battle of Bull Run. Who won the battle of Antietam ? 
Tell about the battle of Fredericksburg. Describe the battle between 
the Alonitor and the Merrimac. Who captured Fort Henry and 
Fort Donelson? Tell about the battle of Shiloh. Who led the 
expedition against New Orleans ? Who won at Murf reesboro ? 

282-298. When was the Emancipation Proclamation issued ? 
Describe its provisions. What was the result of the battle of Chan- 
cellorsville ? Describe the battle of Gettysburg. Who captured Vicks- 
burg? Describe the battles of Chattanooga and Chickamauga. Who 
became general in chief of the Union armies at this time ? Describe 
the battles of the Wilderness. Tell about Sherman's march to the sea. 
When did General Lee surrender? What did the war settle? When 
was President Lincoln assassinated ? 

299-307. What was Johnson's plan of reconstruction ? What 
was the Thirteenth Amendment ? What caused the contest between 
the President and Congress? What was the Fourteenth Amendment? 
What was the result of the impeachment of the President ? Tell about 
the Atlantic cable. From what nation was Alaska purchased ? What 
was the Homestead Act ? 

308-321. What were the Alabama claims ? How were they settled? 
What is meant by civil-service reform ? Describe the building of the 
transcontinental railroad. What was the Fifteenth Amendment? 



3/6 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



What was the " vSalary Grab"? The Weather Bureau. Describe the 
crisis of 1873. What was the financial legislation of this time? For 
what purpose was the electoral commission appointed ? 

322-325. Describe the withdrawal of the Federal troops from the 
South. Tell of the invention of the telephone and the electric light. 
What does " resumption of specie payment " mean ? 

326-331. How long was President Garfield in office before his 
assassination? Tell about the revision of the tariff and the Civil- 
Service Bill. What was the Edmunds Antipolygamy Bill ? What was 
the purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Bill ? Describe the provisions of 
the Alien Contract Labor Law. 

332-356, What are the provisions of the Presidential Succession 
Act, of the Interstate Commerce Law, and of the Chinese Exclusion Bill ? 
Tell about Oklahoma. Describe the celebration of the Washington 
Centennial. What were the provisions of the vSherman Silver Purchase 
and Coinage Act ? Describe the McKinley Tariff Bill. Tell about the 
secret ballot. What great exposition was held at this time ? What 
was the cause of the crisis of 1893 ? Describe the provisions of the 
Wilson Tariff Bill. What was the Venezuela question ? Tell about 
the republic of Hawaii. Describe the Dingley Tariff Bill. What was 
the cause of the Spanish-American War ? Describe the battle of Manila 
bay. Tell about the destruction of the Spanish fleet off Santiago. 
What was the result of the war? Give the provisions of the Gold 
Standard Act. What does the "open door" in China mean? What 
was the purpose of the Pan-American Exposition ? When and where 
was President McKinley assassinated? Who succeeded him? 



APPENDIX 



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37^ 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



TABLE OF STATES AND TERRITORIES 



No. 


Name of State 


Date of 
Settle- 
ment 


By whom 
Settled 


Date of 
Admis- 
sion 


Square 
Miles 


Popula- 
tion IN 
1790 


Popula- 
tion in 
I goo 


I 


Delaware ^ 


1638 


Swedes 


1787 


2,050 


50,996 


184,735 


2 


Pennsylvania 


1683 


English 


1787 


45,215 


434,373 


6,302,115 


3 


New Jersey 


1617 


Dutch 


.787 


7,815 


184,139 


1,883,669 


4 


Georgia 


1733 


English 


1788 


59,475 


82,548 


2,216,331 


5 


Connecticut 


1633 


English 


1788 


4,990 


238,431 


908,355 


6 


Massachusetts 


1620 


English 


1788 


8,315 


378,717 


2,805,346 


7 


Maryland 


1634 


English 


1788 


12,210 


319,728 


1,190,050 


8 


South Carolina 


1670 


English 


1788 


30,570 


249,073 


1,340,316 


9 


New Hampshire 


1623 


English 


1788 


9,305 


141,899 


411,588 


lO 


Virginia 


1607 


English 


1788 


42,450 


748,308 

including 

W. Va. 


1,854,184 


II 


New York 


1623 


Dutch 


1788 


49,170 


340,120 


7,268,012 


12 


North Carolina 


1663 


English 


17S9 


52,250 


393,751 


1,893,810 


13 


Rhode Island 


1636 


English 


1790 


1,250 


69,110 


428,556 


14 


Vermont 


1724 


English 


1791 


9,565 


85,416 


343,641 


15 


Kentucky 


1774 


English 


1792 


40,400 


73,077 


2,147,174 


i6 


Tennessee 


1769 


English 


1796 


42,050 


35,791 


2,020,616 


17 


Ohio 


1788 


Americans 


1803 


41,060 




4,157,545 


18 


Louisiana 


1700 


French 


1S12 


48,720 


, 


1,381,625 


19 


Indiana 


1702 


French 


1816 


36,350 




2,516,462 


20 


Mississippi 


1716 


Frencli 


1817 


46,810 




1,551,270 


21 


Illinois 


1682 


French 


1818 


56,650 




4,821,550 


22 


Alabama 


1702 


French 


1819 


52,250 




1,828,697 





1 The heavy-faced type indicates the thirteen original states. 



APPENDIX 



379 



TABLE OF STATES AND TERRITORIES {Concluded) 



No. 


Name (jf State 


Date of 
Settle- 
ment 


By whom 
Settled 


Date of 
Admis- 
sion 


Square 
Miles 


Popula- 
tion IN 
1790 


Popula- 
tion IN 
1900 


23 


Maine 


1625 


English 


1820 


33,040 


96,540 


694,466 


24 


Missouri 


•7«9 


French 


1821 


69,415 




3,106,665 


25 


Arkansas 


1670 


French 


1836 


53,850 




1,3 1 ',564 


26 


Michigan 


1670 


French 


1837 


58,915 




2,420,982 


27 


Florida 


15^5 


Spanish 


1845 


58,680 




528,542 


28 


Texas 


1685 


French 


1845 


265,780 




3,048,710 


2q 


Iowa 


1833 


Americans 


1846 


56,025 




2,231,853 


30 


Wisconsin 


1669 


French 


1848 


56,040 




2,069,042 


31 


California 


1769 


Spanish 


1850 


158,360 




1,485,053 


32 


Minnesota 


1819 


Americans 


1858 


83,365 




1,751,394 


33 


Oregon 


1811 


Americans 


1859 


96,030 




413,536 


34 


Kansas 


1854 


Americans 


1861 


82,080 




1,470,495 


35 


West Virginia 




English 


1863 


24,780 


included 
in 1790 
in Va. 


958,800 


36 


Nevada 


1850 


Americans 


1864 


110,700 




42,335 


37 


Nebraska 


1847 


Americans 


1867 


77,510 




1,068,539 


38 


Colorado 


1859 


Americans 


1876 


103,925 




539,7'^o 


39 


North Dakota 


1857 


Americans 


1889 


70,795 




319,146 


40 


South Dakota 


1857 


Americans 


1889 


77,650 




401,570 


4« 


Montana 


1861 


Americans 


1889 


146,080 




243,329 


42 


Washington 


1845 


Americans 


1889 


69,180 




518,103 


43 


Idaho 


1862 


Americans 


1890 


84,800 




161,772 


44 


Wyoming 


1867 


Americans 


1890 


97,890 




92,531 


45 


Utah 


.847 


Americans 


1896 


84,970 




276,749 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 

Ix Congress, July 4, 1776 

A DECLARATION BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OE THE 

UNITED STATES OE AMERICA, IN CONGRESS 

ASSEMBLED 

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary 
for one people to dissolve the political bands which have con- 
nected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of 
the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of 
nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the 
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes 
which impel them to the separation. ^ 

We hold these truths to be self-evident: — That all men are 
created equal ; that they are endowed by their Creator with cer- 
tain unalienable rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the 
pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments 
are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the 
consent of the governed ;f: that, whenever any form of govern- 
ment becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the 
people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new govern- 
ment, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing 
its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to 
effect their safety and happiness, j Prudence, indeed, will dic- 
tate, that governments long established should not be changed 
for light and transient causes ; and accordingly all experience 
hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer while evils 
are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms 

1 The original cop\- of the Declaration of Independence is kept in the 
Department of State in Washington. The Declaration was adopted July 4, 
1776, and was signed by the members representing the thirteen states Aug. 2, 
1776. John Hancock, whose name appears first among the signers, was presi- 
dent of the Congress. 

381 



382 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses 
and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a 
design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, 
it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new 
guards for their future security. Such has been the patient suf- 
ferance of these colonies ; and such is now the necessity which 
constrains them to alter their former systems of government. 
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of 
repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the 
establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove 
this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. 

He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and 
necessary for the public good. 

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and 
pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his 
assent should be obtained ; and when so suspended, he has utterly 
neglected to attend to them. 

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of 
large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish 
the right of representation in the legislature — a right inesti- 
mable to them, and formidable to tyrants only. 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, 
uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public 
records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance 
with his measure. 

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing, 
with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights of the people. 

He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause 
others to be elected, whereby the legislative powers, incapable of 
annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exer- 
cise; the State remaining, in the mean time, exposed to all the 
dangers of invasions from without, and convulsions within. 

He has endeavored to prevent the population oi these States; 
for that purpose obstructing the laws for the naturalization of 
foreigners ; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration 
hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of 
lands. 

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his 
assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. 



I 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 383 

He has made judges dependent on his will alone for the tenure 
of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. 

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither 
swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their sub- 
stance. 

He has kept among us in times of peace, standing armies, 
without the consent of our legislatures. 

He has affected to render the military independent of, and 
superior to, the civil power. 

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction 
foreign to our constitutions, and unacknowledged by our laws ; 
giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation : 

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us ; 

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment for any 
murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these 
States ; 

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world ; 

For imposing taxes on us without our consent ; 

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury; 

For transporting us beyond seas, to be tried for pretended 
offences ; 

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighbor- 
ing province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and 
enlarging its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example 
and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into 
these colonies ; 

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable 
laws, and altering, fundamentally, the forms of our governments ; 

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves 
invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. 

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his 
protection, and waging war against us. 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our 
towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign merce- 
naries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, 
already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely 
paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the 
head of a civilized nation. 



384 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on the high 
seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners 
of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. 

He has excited domestic insurrection among us, and has endeav- 
ored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless 
Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistin- 
guished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. 

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for 
redress in the most humble terms ; our repeated petitions have 
been answered only by repeated injury. A prince whose char- 
acter is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, 
is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. 

Nor have we been wanting in our attentions to our British 
brethren. We have warned them, from time to time, of attempts 
by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over 
us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigra- 
tion and settlement here. We have appealed to their native jus- 
tice and magnanimity ; and we have conjured them, by the ties 
of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which 
would inevitably interrupt our. connections and correspondence. 
They, too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and consan- 
guinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which 
denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest 
of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. 

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of 
America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the 
Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, 
do, in the name knd by the authority of the good people of these 
colonies, solemnly publish and declare. That these united Colo- 
nies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states ; 
that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, 
and that all political connection between them and the state of 
Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved : and that, 
as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, 
conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and do 
all other acts and things which independent states may of right 
do. And, for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance 
on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to 
each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 



385 



The foregoing Declaration was, by order of Congress, 
engrossed, and signed by the following members : 



NEW HAMPSHIRE 
JosiAH Bartlett 
William Whipple 
Matthew Thornton 

massachuse:tts bay 

Samuel Adams 
John Adams 
Robert Treat Paine 
Elbridge Gerry 

RHODE ISLAND 

Stephen Hopkins 
William Ellery 

CONNECTICUT 

Roger Sherman 
Samuel Huntington 
William Williams 
Oliver Wolcott 

NEW YORK 

William Floyd 
Philip Livingston 
Francis Lewis 
Lewis Morris 



JOHN HANCOCK 

NEW JERSEY 

Richard Stockton 
John. Witherspoon 
Francis Hopkinson 
John Hart 
Abraham Clark 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Robert Morris 
Benjamin Rush 
Benjamin Franklin 
John Morton 
George Clymer 
James Smith 
George Taylor 
James Wilson 
George Ross 

DELAWARE 
C^sar Rodney 
George Read 
Thomas M'Kean 

MARYLAND 
Samuel Chase 
William Paca 
Thomas Stone 



Charles Carroll, of Car- 
roUton 

VIRGINIA 

George Wythe 
Richard Henry Lee 
Thomas Jefferson 
Benjamin Harrison 
Thomas Nelson, Jr. 
Francis Lightfoot Lee 
Carter Braxton 

NORTH CAROLINA 

William Hooper 
Joseph Hewes 
John Penn 

SOUTH CAROLINA 

Edward Rutledge 
Thomas Hayward, Jr. 
Thomas Lynch, Jr. 
Arthur Middleton 

GEORGIA 

Button Gwinnett 
Lyman Hall 
George Walton 



Resolved, That copies of the Declaration be sent to the several 
assemblies, conventions, and committees, or councils of safety, and 
to^the several commanding officers of the continental troops: that 
it be proclaimed in each of the United States, at the head of the 
armv. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 

Preamble 

We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more 
perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide 
for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure 
the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain 
and establish this Constitution for the United States of 
America. 

ARTICLE I. — LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT 

Section i. — Congress 

All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Con- 
gress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and 
House of Representatives.^ 

Section 2. — House of Representatives 

The House of Representatives shall be composed of members 

chosen every second year by the people of the several States, and 

the electors in each State shall have the qualifica- 

ec ion tions requisite for electors of the most numerous 

Members. , 1 r , r. t • , 

branch of the State Legislature. 

No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained 

to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven 

years a citizen of the United States, and who shall 

not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State ir^ which he shall 

be chosen. 

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among 

the several States which may be included within this Union, 

1 The term of each Congress is two years. It assembles on the first Monday 
in December and " expires at noon of the fourth of March next succeeding the 
beginning of its second regular session, when a new Congress begins." 

386 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 387 

according to their respective numbers,^ which shall be determined 
by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those 
bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not 
taxed, three-fifths of all other persons.^ The actual 
Apportionment. g,^^j^^g,.^^tion shall be made within three years after 
the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within 
every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall 
by law direct. The number of representatives shall not exceed 
one for every thirty thousand, but each State shall have at least 
one representative : and until such enumeration shall be made, 
the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three; 
Massachusetts, eight ; Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 
one ; Connecticut, five ; New York, six; New Jersey, four; Penn- 
sylvania, eight ; Delaware, one ; Maryland, six ; Virginia, ten ; 
North Carolina, five ; South Carolina, five ; and Georgia, three. 
When vacancies happen in the representation from any State, 

the executive authority ^ thereof shall issue writs of 
Vacancies. 1 ■ . /-n 1 

election to fill such vacancies. 

The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker ^ and 

Officers. other officers ; and shall have the sole power of 

Impeachment, impeachment. 

Section 3. — Senate 

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two 
Number senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature 

of Senators: thereof, for six years ; and each senator shall have 
Election. Qne vote. 

Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of 
the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be 
into three classes. The seats of the senators of the first class 
shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year ; of the second 
class, at the expiration of the fourth year; of the third class, at 

1 The apportionment under the census of 1900 is one representative for every 
193,291 persons. 

2 The word "persons" refers to slaves. This paragraph has been amended 
(Amendments XIII and XIV) and is no longer in force. 

3 Governor. 

4 The Speaker is one of the representatives; the other officers — clerk, 
sergeant-at-arms, postmaster, doorkeeper, etc., — are not. 



388 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the expiration of the sixth year, so that one-third may be chosen 
every second year; and if vacancies happen by resignation, or other- 
wise, during the recess of the Legislature of any 
Classification. ^ i • i i r ^ 

State, the executive ^ thereof may make temporary 

appointments until the next meeting of the Legislature, which shall 

then fill such vacancies. 

No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the 

age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of 
Qualifications. , tt • i r- i i in 

the United States, and who shall not, when elected, 

be an inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. 

The Vice-President of the United States shall be president 
President of of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they 
Senate. be equally divided. 

The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a presi- 
dent /fro teinpore, in the absence of the Vice- 
Officers. , 11 

President, or when he shall exercise the office of 

President of the United States. 

The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments : 
When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirma- 
tion. When the President of the United States is 
Impeachment tried, the Chief-Justice shall preside : and no per- 
son shall be convicted without the concurrence of 
two-thirds of the members present. 

Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further 
than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and 
Judgment enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the 

in Case of United States ; but the party convicted shall never- 

Conviction. theless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, 

judgment, and punishment, according to law. 

Section 4. — Both Houses 

The times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators 
Manner of ^.nd representatives shall be prescribed in each State 

electing by the Legislature thereof ; but the Congress may 

Members. ^X any time, by law, make or alter such regulations, 

except as to the places of choosing senators. ^ 

1 Governor. 

2 This is to prevent Congress from fixing the places of meeting of the state 
legislatures. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 389 

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and 
Meetings of ^ such meeting shall be on the first Monday in Decem- 
Congress. ber, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. 

Section 5. — The Houses separately 

Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and 

qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall 

constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller 

Organization. ^^^^^^^^ ^^y adjourn from day to day, and may be 

authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such 

manner, and under such penalties, as each house may provide. 

Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish 

its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the 

^^^^^' concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. 

Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from 
time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in 
their judgment require secrecy, and the yeas and 
Journal. ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ members of either house on any ques- 

tion shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered 
on the journal. 

Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without 

the consent of the other, adjourn for more than 

Adjournment. ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ pl^^.^ than that in 

which the two houses shall be sitting. 

Section 6. Privileges and Disabilities of Members 

The senators and representatives shall receive a compensation ^ 

for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the 

treasury of the United States. They shall in all 

Pay and cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, 

Privileges of ^ privileijed from arrest during their attendance at 
Members. i' » <^ j • • 

the session of their respective houses, and m gomg 

to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or debate in 

either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place. 

1 Five thousand dollars a year and twenty cents for every mile of travel each 
way from their homes at each annual session. There is also an allowance of 
one hundred and twenty-five dollars for stationery and newspapers. 



390 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAxN HISTORY 

No senator or representative shall, during the time for which 

he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority 

of the United States, which shall have been created, 

Prohi itions ^^ ^j^^ emoluments whereof shall have been increased, 

on Members. , . , . , i i t rr 

durmg such time ; and no person holding any office 

under the United States shall be a member of either house during 
his continuance in office. 



Section 7. — Method of passing Laws 

All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of 

Representatives ; but the Senate may propose or 
Revenue Bills. .. 1 . ^u i -n 

concur with amendments as on other bills. 

Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representa- 
tives and the Senate shall, before it become a law, be presented 

to the President of the United States; if he approve, 
How Bills ^^ gj^^^ gj J. ^^^ j£ ^^^ j^g gl^^jj return it, with 

become Laws. , * ' . , . , . , 

his objections, to that house in which it shall 

have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their 
journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsidera- 
tion, two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall 
be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which 
it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of 
that house, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes of 
both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names 
of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on 
the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be 
returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after 
it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in 
like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their 
adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. 
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of 
the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary 

(except on a question of adjournment) shall be 
' presented to the President of the United States ; 

and before the same shall take effect, shall be 
approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed 
by two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, accord- 
ing to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 391 



Section 8. — Powers granted to Congress 

The Congress shall have power: 

To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, to pay 
the debts and provide for the common defense 
owers ^^^ general welfare of the United States ; but all 

Congress. , . ^ . , . , ,, , -r 

duties, nnposts, and excises shall be uniform 

throughout the United States; 

To borrow money on the credit of the United States ; 

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the 
several States, and with the Indian tribes; 

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws 
on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States; 

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, 
and fix the standard of weights and measures ; 

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities 
and current coin of the United States ; 

To establish post-offices and post-roads ; 

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing, 
for limited times, to authors and inventors the exclusive right to 
their respective writings and discoveries ; 

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ; 

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the 
high seas, and offenses against the law of nations ; 

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal,^ and make 
rules concerning captures on land and water ; 

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money 
to that use shall be for a longer term than two years ; 

To provide and maintain a navy ; 

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land 
and naval forces ; 

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of 
the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions. 

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, 
and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the 
service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively 

1 Letters granted by the government to private citizens in time of war, 
authorizing them, under certain conditions, to capture the ships of the enemy. 



392 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the 
militia according to the disciphne prescribed by Congress ; 

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever over 
such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession 
of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the 
seat of the government of the United States,^ and to exercise like 
authority over all places purchased by the consent of the Legis- 
lature of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection 
of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful build- 
ings ; — And 

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for car- 
Implied ^y'^^S '^^^^ execution the foregoing powers, and all 
Powers. other powers vested by this Constitution in the gov- 
ernment of the United States, or in any department or officer 
thereof. 

Section 9. — Powers forbidden to the United States 

The migration or importation of such persons as any of the 

States now existing shall think proper to admit. 

Absolute shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to 

-n „ „.„ the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, 
on Congress. ■' ® o ' 

but a tax or duty may be imposed on such impor- 
tation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person. ^ 

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus ^ shall not be sus- 
pended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public 
safety may require it. 

No bill "of attainder^ or ex-post-facto law ^ shall be passed. 

No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in propor- 
tion to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken. 

1 The District of Columbia. 

2 This refers to the foreign slave trade. " Persons " means " slaves." In 1808 
Congress prohibited the importation of slaves. This clause is, of course, no 
longer in force. 

3 An official document requiring an accused person who is in prison awaiting 
trial to be brought into court to inquire whether he may be legally held. 

4 A special legislative act by which a person may be condemned to death or 
to outlawry or banishment without the opportunity of defending himself which 
he would have in a court of law. 

5 A law relating to the punishment of acts committed before the law was 
passed. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 393 

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any 
State. 

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce 
or revenue to the ports of one State over those of another ; nor 
shall vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, 
clear, or pay duties in another. 

No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in conse- 
quence of appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement 
and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money 
shall be published from time to time. 

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States : 
And no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, 
shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, 
emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, 
prince, or foreign state. 

Section 10. — Powers forbiddek to the States 

No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation ; 

grant letters of marque and reprisal ; coin money ; 
Absolute gj^^i^ l^illg Qf credit; make anything but gold and 

Prohibitions , ^^.^^ ^ tender in payment of debts ; pass any 

on the States. '^ ^ , , ... 

bill of attainder, ex-post-faeto law, or law impairmg 

the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility. 

No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any 
imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be 

absolutely necessary for executing its inspection 
Conditional j^^^g . ^,-^^ ^\^q ^et produce of all duties and imposts, 

Prohibitions ^ g^^^^ ^^ imports or exports, shall be 

on the States. -^ ■' ^ ^ ^ r 1 tt •. j o^ i. 

for the use of the treasury of the United States : 

and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control 
of the Congress. 

No State shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty 
of tonnage, keep troops, or ships-of-war, in time of peace, enter 
into any agreement or compact with another State, or with a 
foreio-n power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in 
such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. 



394 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

ARTICLE IL — EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 

Section i. — President and Vice-President 

The executive power shall be vested in a President of the 

United States of America. He shall hold his ofifice 
Term 

during the term of four years, and, together with 

the Vice-President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as 
follows : 

Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature 
thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole num- 
ber of senators and representatives to which the 
State may be entitled in the Congress : but no 
senator or representative, or person holding an ofifice of trust or 
profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. 

[^ The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote 

by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an 

inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall 

make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of 

votes for each ; which list they shall sign and cer- 

Proceedings of ^j£ ^^^ transmit sealed to the seat of the govern- 
Electors and ^ . , ^^ . . ^ .. . . *., 

of Congress ment of the United States, directed to the president 

of the Senate. The president of the Senate shall, 

in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, 

open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. 

The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the 

President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of 

electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such 

majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of 

Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them 

for President ; and if no person have a majority, then from the 

five highest on the list the said house shall, in like arianner, choose 

the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be 

taken by States, the representation from each State having one 

vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or 

members from two-thirds of the States, and a majority of all the 

States shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after tlie 

1 This paragraph in brackets has been superseded by the Twelfth Amendment. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 395 

choice of the President, the person having the greatest number 
of votes of the electors shall be the Vice-President. But if there 
should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall 
choose from them by ballot the Vice-President.] 

The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, 
Time of ^.nd the day on which they shall give their votes ; 

choosing which day shall be the same throughout the United 

Electors. States.^ 

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the 

United States at the time of the adoption of this 

Qua 1 ca ions Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of Presi- 
of President. ® 

dent; neither shall any person be eligible to that 

office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, 
and been fourteen years resident within the United States. 

In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his 
death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties 
of the said office, the same shall devolve on the 
Vice-President, and the Congress may by law pro- 
vide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both 
of the President and Vice-President, declaring what officer shall 
then act as President ; and such officer shall act accordingly until 
the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. 

The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services 

a compensation - w^hich shall neither be increased nor diminished 

during the period for which he shall have been 

elected, and he shall not receive within that period 

any other emolument from the United States, or any of them. 

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the 

following oath or affirmation : — "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) 

that I will faithfully execute the office of President 

of the United States, and will, to the best of my 

ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the 

United States." 

1 The electors are chosen on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in 
November, preceding the expiration of a presidential term. They vote (by Act 
of Congress of Feb. 3, 1887) on the second Monday in January following 
for President and Vice-President. The votes are counted, and declared in 
Congress on the second Wednesday of the following February. 

'- The President now receives fifty thousand dollars a year ; the Vice-President, 
eight thousand dollars. 



396 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Section 2. — Powers of the President 

The President shall be commander-in-chief of the army and 

navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States, 

when called into the actual service of the United 
Military ....... ^ 

Powers. States; he may require the opmion, m writmg, of 

the principal officer in each of the executive depart- 

Reprieves and ments, upon any subject relating to the duties of 

^^ °°^' their respective offices ; and he shall have power to 

grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United 

States, except in cases of impeachment. 

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of 

the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the senators 

present concur ; and he shall nominate, and by and 
Treaties. . 

with the advice and consent of the Senate shall 

appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges 

of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, 

whose appointments are not herein otherwise pro- 

^^ ^^ vided for, and which shall be established bv law: 

ments. ' •' 

but the Congress may by law vest the appointment 
of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President 
alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that 

may happen during the recess of the Senate, by 

granting commissions which shall expire at the end 

of their next session. 



Fill 
Vacancies 



Section 3. — Duties of the President 

He shall from time to time give to the Congress information! 
of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration 

such measures as he shall judge •' necessary and 
Message. j- ^ i ^ j- • 

expedient ; he may, on extraordinary occasions, con- 
vene both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement 

1 The President gives this information by sending a message to Congress at 
the opening of each session. Washington and John Adams read their messages 
in person to Congress. Jefferson, however, sent a written message to Congress 
by his private secretary, and this custom has since been followed. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 397 

between them with respect to the time of ^di""--"™^"*' .|;^ 
may adjourn them to such t.me as he shall think 
convene „roner : he shall receive ambassadors and other 

congress. V ,^^^^ ministers; he shall take care that tl,e laws 

be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the ofhcers of 
the United States. 

Section 4. — Impeachment 

ThP President Vice-President, and all civil officers of the 
The P-s.dent,^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ 

Removal of impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bnb- 

Officers. ^^^^^ ^j. Q^^g^ high crimes and misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE III. -JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT 
Section i. — United States Courts 
The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one 
supreme Court,'and in such inferior courts ^^^^J^^ ^ > 
from time to time ordain and establish. 1 he 
courts . ^^gg boti, of the Supreme and inferior couits 

established. J^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^.^ ^^^^^ ^^^ng good behavior, and 
J^<ig^^- shall at stated times, receive for their services a 

compensation^ which shall not be diminished during their con- 
tinuance in office. 

SECTION 2. -JURISDICTION OF UNITED STATES COURTS 

The iudicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, 

Federal their authority ;- to all cases affecting ambassa- 

Courts in ^^^.^ other public ministers, and consuls ; — to an 

°"'"^'- case's of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction •. — to 

controversies to which the United States shall be a party ;- 
to controversies between two or more ^W'<==* \7'^"'^^''" if.^ ;„, 
11 citizens of another State --between cituens of ditferent 

, ,,. chief iusf,ce of .he Supreme Court „ceives.^n thousand hve hundred 
dollars a year; the associate justices, ten thousana dollars. 

2 But compare the Eleventh .\mendment. 



398 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

States ; — between citizens of the same State claiming lands under 
grants of different States, and between a State, or the citizens 
thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects. 

In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and 
consuls, and those in which a State shall be party, the Supreme 

Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all other 
Supreme cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall 

have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, 
with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress 
shall make. 

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall 
be by jury ; and such trial shall be held in the State where the 

said crimes shall have been committed ; but when 

Tri3.1s 

not committed within any State, the trial shall be at 
such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed. 

Section 3. — Treason 

Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying 
Treason war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, 

defined. griving: them aid and comfort. 

No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testi- 
mony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in 
open court. 

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of 
treason, but no attainder of treason shall work 
corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during 
the life of the person attainted. 



ARTICLE IV. — RELATIONS OF THE STATES TO 
EACH OTHER 

Section i. — Official Acts 

Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public 
acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And 
the Congress may by general laws, prescribe the manner in which 
such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect 
thereof. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 399 



Section 2. — Privileges of Citizens 

The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and 

immunities of citizens in the several States. 

A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other 

crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in 

Fugitives another State, shall, on demand of the executive 

from Justice. , , , ^ . , • 1 1 n i 1 1 i- 

authority ot the State from which he fled, be deliv- 
ered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime. 
No person^ held to service or labor in one State, under the laws 

thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence 
Fugitive ^£ j^j^y i^^y Qj- regulation therein, be discharged from 

such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on 
claim of the party to v>hom such service or labor may be due. 

Section 3. — New States and Territories 

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ; 
but no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdic- 
tion of any other State ; nor any State be formed 
Admission ^ ^^^ junction of two or more States, or parts 

of States. -i •* . , , r .1 t • 1 x 

of States, without the consent of the Legislatures 

of the States concerned as well as of the Congress. 

The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all 

needful rules and regulations respecting the terri- 
Territory ^^^y qj. other propertv belonging to the United 

Unttrrsta'tes''* States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be 

so construed as to prejudice any claims of the 
United States, or of any particular State. 

Section 4. — Protection of the States 

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union 
a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them 
against invasion, and on application of the Legislature, or of the 
Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against 
domestic violence. 

1 " Person " here includes slave. This was the basis of the Fugitive Slave 
Law. It is now superseded by the Thirteenth Amendment. 



400 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



ARTICLE v. — AMENDMENTS 

The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem 

it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, 

on the application of the Legislatures of two-thirds 

°^ of the several States, shall call a convention for 

proposed. 

proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall 

be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, 

when ratified by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the several 

States, or by conventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or 

the other mode of ratification may be proposed by 
°^ the Congress ; provided that no amendment which 

may be made prior to the year one thousand eight 
hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth 
clauses in the ninth section of the first article ; and that no State, 
without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the 
Senate. 



ARTICLE VI. — GENERAL PROVISIONS 

All debts contracted, and engagements entered into, before 

the adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid 

against the United States under this Constitution, 

as under the confederation. 

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which 

shall be made in pursuance thereof ; and all treaties made, or 

which shall be made, under the authority of the 

Supremacy of United States, shall be the supreme law of the 
Constitution. . . ^ 

land; and the judges in every State shall be bound 

thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the 
contrary notwithstanding. 

The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the 
members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and 
Official Oath judicial officers, both of the United States and of 
the several States, shall be bound by oath or afiirma- 
e igious Tes . ^j^^ ^^ support this Constitution ; but no religious 
test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or 
public trust under the United States. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 401 

ARTICLE VII.— RATIFICATION OF THE 
CONSTITUTION 



The ratification of the Conventions of nine States shall be 
sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the 
States so ratifying the same. 

Done in convention, by the unanimous consent of the 
States present, the seventeenth day of September, in 
the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and 
eighty-seven, and of the independence of the United 
States of America the twelfth. 



In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our 
1 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 

President, and Depitty from Virsjiuia. 



names. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE 

John Langdon 
Nicholas Oilman 

MASSACHUSETTS 

Nathaniel Gorham 
RuFus King 

CONNECTICUT 

William Samuel Johnson 
Roger Sherman 

NEW YORK 

Alexander Hamilton 

NEW JERSEY 

William Livingston 
David Brearlev 
William Paterson 
Jonathan Dayton 



PENNSYLVANIA 

Benjamin Franklin 
Thomas Mifflin 
Robert Morris 
George Clymer 
Thomas Fitzsimons 
Jared Ingersoll 
James Wilson 

GOUVERNEUR MoRRIS 

DELAWARE 

George Read 
Gunning Bedford, Jr. 
John Dickinson 
Richard Bassett 
Jacob Broom 

MARYLAND 

James M'Henry 

Daniel of St. Thomas 

Jenifer 
Daniel Carroll 



VIRGINIA 

John Blair 

James Madison, Jr. 



NORTH CAROLINA 

William Blount 
Richard Dobbs Spaight 
Hugh Williamson 



SOUTH CAROLINA 

John Rutledge 
Charles C. Pinckney 
Charles Pincknev 
Pierce Butler 



GEORGIA 

William Few 
Abraham Baldwin 



Attest: WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary. 



1 There were sixty-five delegates chosen to the convention : ten did not 
attend ; sixteen decUned or failed to sign ; thirty-nine signed. Rhode Island 
sent no delegates. 



402 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



AMENDMENTS 

Article I.^ — Congress shall make no law respecting an 
Relieion establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free 

Speech, Press, exercise thereof ; or abridging the freedom of 
Assembly, speech, or of the press ; or the right of the people 

Petition. peaceably to assemble, and to petition the govern- 

ment for redress of grievances. 

Article II. — A well-regulated mihtia being necessary to the 
security of a free State the right of the people to 
keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 
Article III. -^ No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quar- 
tered in any house, without the consent of the 
Soldiers. . . ^ , , , 

owner ; nor in time of war but in a manner to be 

prescribed by law. 

Article IV. — The right of the people to be secure in their 

persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches 
and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants 
shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by 
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the 

place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 
Article V. — No person shall be held to answer for a capital, 

or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indict- 
ment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the 

_, .. land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in 

Prosecutions. . ' ] 

actual service in time of war and public danger ; 
nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice 
put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compelled in any 
criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor to be deprived 
of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall 
private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. 
Article VI. — In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall 
enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by ari impartial jury 

1 These amendments were proposed by Congress and ratified by the Legis- 
latures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth article of the Constitution. 
The first ten were offered in 1789 and adopted before the close of 1791. They 
were for the most part the work of Madison. They are frequently called the 
Bill of Rights, as their purpose is to guard more efficiently the rights of the 
people and of the states. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 403 

of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been com- 
mitted, which district shall have been previously ascertained by 
law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusa- 
tion ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him ; to have 
compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to 
have the assistance of counsel for his defense. 

Article VII. — In suits at common law, where the value in 

controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right 

Suits at q£ ^j.j^j Y)y jury shall be preserved, and no fact 

J tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined in 

any court of the United States than according to 

the rules of common law. 

Article VIII. — Excessive bail shall not be required, nor 
Bail, excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual 

Punishments. punishments inflicted. 

Article IX. — The enumeration in the Constitution of cer- 
tain rights shall not be construed to deny or dis- 
Reserved parage others retained by the people. 

Rights and A V ^u T ^ 1 ^ j ^ *i 

pjj^gj.g Article X. — The powers not delegated to the 

United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited 
by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to 
the people. 

Article XI. ^ — The judicial power of the United States shall 
Judicial ^lot be construed to extend to any suit in law or 

Power equity, commenced or prosecuted against any of 

granted. ^\^q United States by citizens of another State, 

or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state. 

Article XI I. ^ — The electors shall meet in their respective 
States, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one 
of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same State 
with themselves : they shall name in their ballots the person voted 
for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as 
Vice-President ; and they shall make distinct lists of all persons 
voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Mce-Presi- 
dent, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall 
sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government 
of the United States, directed to the president of the Senate; — 

1 Proposed in 1794: adopted in 1798. 

2 Adopted in 1804. 



404 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

the president of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate 

and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the 

votes shall then be counted ; — the person having the greatest 

number of votes for President, shall be the Presi- 

Method of dent, if such number be a majority of the whole 

clcctin&r 

President and number of electors appointed ; and if no person 

Vice-President, have such majority, then from the persons having 
the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list 
of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives 
shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choos- 
ing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the repre- 
sentation from each State having one vote ; a quorum for this 
purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds 
of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary 
to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not 
choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve 
upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then 
the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the 
death or other constitutional disability of the President. The 
person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, 
shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the 
whole number of electors appointed ; and if no person have a 
majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the 
Senate shall choose the Vice-President ; a quorum for the pur- 
pose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of senators, 
and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. 
But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President 
shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. 
Article XII I. ^ — Section i. Neither slavery nor involuntary 
servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof 

ayery ^ party shall have been duly convicted, shall 

abolished. r j j 

exist within the United States, or any place sub- 
ject to their jurisdiction. 

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article 
by appropriate legislation. 

Article XI V.^ — Section i. All persons born or naturalized 
in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are 

i Adopted in 1865. 
2 Adopted in 1868. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 405 

citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they 

reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall 

abridge tlie privileges or immunities of citizens of 

egroes ma e ^|^^ United States ; nor shall any State deprive any 

person of life, liberty, or property, without due 

process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction 

the equal protection of the laws. 

Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the 
several States according to their respective numbers, counting 
the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians 
not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the 
choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United 
States, representatives in Congress, the executive or judicial offi- 
cers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is 
denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being 
twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or 
in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion or other 
crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the 
proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to 
tlie whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in 
such State. 

Section J . No person shall be a senator or representative in 
Congress, or elector of President or Vice-President, or hold any 
office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any 
State, who having previously taken an oath as a member of Con- 
gress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of 
any State Legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any 
State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have 
engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given 
aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a 
vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability. 

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, 
authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pen- 
sions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or 
rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States 
nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred 
in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or 
any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave ; but all such 
debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void. 



406 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 

Sections. Congress shall have power to enforce, by appro- 
priate legislation, the provisions of this article. 

Article XV.i — Section i. The rights of citizens of the 
Negroes United States to vote shall not be denied or 

made Voters. abridged by the United States, or by any State, 
on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by 
appropriate legislation. 

1 Adopted in 1870. 



INDEX 



Abolition societies, 237. 

Acadia, 1 10. 

Acadians, 1 1 5. 

Adams, John, administration of, 
195. 

Adams, John Quincy, administra- 
tion of, 229-233. 

Adams, Samuel, 135. 

Alabama, 177. 

Alabama, the, 320. 

Alabama claims, the, 333. 

Alaska purchased, 332. 

Albany (Fort Orange) settled, 60. 

Albany convention of 1754, the, 
114. 

Albion, New, 33. 

Alien and Sedition Laws, the, 197. 

Alien Contract Labor Law, the, 
348. 

Allen, Ethan, takes Ticonderoga, 
141. 

Amendments to the Constitution, 
the first ten, iSo; the Thirteenth, 
328; the Fourteenth, 329; the 
Fifteenth, 336. 

America, voyages of the North- 
men to, I, 2; discovered by 
Columbus, 1 1 ; continent of, dis- 
covered by Cabot, 13; origin of 
the name, 16; Spanish explora- 
tions in, 21-26; PVench explo- 
rations in, 26-32 ; English ex- 
plorations in, 32-35 ; Spanish 



settlements in, 12, 21-26, 31; 
French settlements in, 28-31, 
107 ; English settlements in, 52, 
62, 66, 68, 71, 78-79, 80, 86, 90, 
92, 94, 98, 99 ; Dutch settle- 
ments in, 60 ; Swedish settle- 
ments in, 92 ; first permanent 
Spanish settlement in, 31 ; first 
permanent French settlement 
in, 29; first permanent English 
settlement in, 52; the wars of 
the English and French in, 
108-120. 

American, Native, party, 280. 

Americus Vespucius, 16. 

Anarchists, the Chicago, 351. 

Andre hanged, 170. 

Andros, Governor, 76, 83. 

Annexation of Texas, 251. 

Antipolygamy Bill, 347. 

Antirenters, 243. 

Antislavery movement, 237. 

Appomattox Court House, 325. 

Apprentices, white, in Virginia, 55. 

Arkansas, 241. 

Army, review of, at close of Civil 
War, 327. 

Arnold, at Ticonderoga, 142 ; 
expedition against Quebec, 143; 
at Fort Stanwix, 1 59 ; at Sara- 
toga, 160; treason of, 169. 

Arthur, administration of, 346- 

349- 



407 



4o8 



ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Articles of Confederation, 177. 
Ashburton treaty, 249. 
Astoria, 204. 
Atlanta Exhibition, 357. 
Atlantic telegraph, 332. 
Aztecs, the, 21. 

Bacon's rebellion, 57. 

Balboa discovers the Pacific, 18. 

Baltimore, founded, 89 ; in the 
Civil War, 295. 

Baltimore, Lord, 84. 

Bank, the United States, estab- 
lished, 187 ; Jackson ends the 
United States, 238. 

Banks, national, established, 243 ; 
state, and w^ild-cat money, 241. 

Banner," " The Star Spangled, 
219. 

Barry, Commodore John, 166. 

Battle of Antietam,or Sharpsburg, 
304; Atlanta, 318; Bennington, 
157; Brandywine, 155; Buena 
Vista, 258 ; Bull Run, or Manas- 
sas Junction (first), 296; Bull 
Run (second), 303; Bunker Hill, 
142; Butts Hill, 161; Camden, 
169; Caney, 364; Cedar Moun- 
^ tain, 303 ; Cerro Gordo, 260 ; 
Chancellorsville, 313; Chatta- 
nooga, 316; Chapultepec, 261; 
Chesapeake and Shannon, 213; 
Charleston, 168 ; Chickamauga, 
316; Chippewa, 217; Churu- 
busco, 260; Cold Harbor, 322 ; 
Concord, 140; Constellationdi\\6. 
Insurgente, 197; Constitution 
and the Guerriere, 212; Con- 
treras, 260 ; Corinth, 308 ; Cow^- 
pens, 170 ; Crown Point, 142; 



Dallas, 318; Eutaw Springs, 
170 ; Fair Oaks, or Seven Pines, 
302 ; Flamborough Head, 167 ; 
Fort Donelson, 308 ; Fort 
Duquesne, 113; Fort Henry, 
308; Fort McAllister, 320; Fort 
McHenry, 218; Fort Moultrie, 
145; Fort Stanwix, 159; Fort 
Sumter, 290 ; Fort Washington, 
149; Fort William Henry, 117; 
Fort William and Mary, 139; 
Franklin, 319; Fredericksburg, 
304; Germantown, 155 ; Gettys- 
burg, 313; Goldsboro, 324; Guil- 
ford Court House, 170 ; Hob- 
kirks Hill, 170 ; Horseshoe 
Bend, or Tohopeka, 216; Island 
Number 10, 309 ; Kearsarge and 
the Alabama, 321 ; Kenesaw 
Mountain, 318; Kings Moun- 
tain, 169; Lake Champlain, 
218; Lake Erie, 215; Lake 
George, ir6; Lexington and 
Concord, 140 ; Lexington^ the, 
and the Edxvard, 1 67 ; Long 
Island, 148 ; Lookout Moun- 
tain, 316; Louisburg, iii; 
Lundys Lane, 217 ; Malvern 
Hill, 303 ; Manila, 362 ; Mis- 
sionary Ridge, 316 ; Mobile 
Bay, 321 ; MoUno del Rey, 260 ; 
ATonitor and Merrimac, 305 ; 
Monmouth, 160; Monterey, 
258; Murfreesboro, 310 ; Nash- 
ville, 320 ; New Orleans (War 
ofi8i2), 218; (Civil War), 309 ; 
Oriskany, 159 (note); Palo 
Alto, 257 ; Peninsular Campaign, 
301; Perry ville, 310; Peters- 
burg, 323; Pittsburg Landing, 



INDEX 



409 



or Shiloh, 308 ; Plains of Abra- 
ham, 118; Port Hudson, 316; 
President and Little Belt, 210; 
Princeton, 153 ; Quebec (1759), 
119' (1775) ^435 Queenston 
Heights, 211; Resaca, 318; 
Resaca de la Palma, 257; San 
Juan, 364; Santiago, 366; Sara- 
toga, 160; Savannah, 168; Semi- 
noles, 239 ; Seven Days before 
Richmond, 303 ; Shenandoah 
Valley, 322 ; Shiloh, or Pittsburg 
Landing, 308 ; Spottsylvania 
Court House, 322 ; Stony Point, 
161 ; Ticonderoga, 141 ; Tippe- 
canoe, 210; Tohopeka, 216; 
Trenton, 152; Tripoli, 200; 
Vera Cruz, 260 ; Vicksburg, 315 ; 
Wilderness, 322; Williamsburg, 
302 ; Wilsons Creek, 298 ; Win- 
chester, 322; Vorktown, 174. 

Beauregard, General, 290. 

Bering sea dispute, 358. 

Bell, Alexander Graham, 343. 

Berkeley, Sir William, 57, 129. 

Berkeley and Carteret, 65. 

Bienville, 107. 

Black Hawk, 239. 

Bland-Allison Silver Bill, 339. 

Blockade, the, in the Civil War, 
298. 

Boone, Daniel, 188 (note). 

Boston, settlement of, 71; Mas- 
sacre, 135; Tea Party, 136; port 
of, closed, 137 ; siege of, 145 ; 
evacuation of, by the British, 

Braddock's defeat, 115. 
Bradford, governor of Plymouth, 
70. 



Bragg, General, 310. 

Brant, Joseph, 164. 

Brooklyn Bridge, 348. 

Brown, John, in Kansas, 278 ; raid 

of, and execution, 286. 
Bryan, William J., 360, 368. 
Buchanan, administration of, 283- 

289. 
Buchanan, Captain, 306. 
Buckner, General, 308. 
Bunker Hill Monument, 228. 
Burgesses, House of, in Virginia, 

56. 
Burgoyne, expedition of, 1 57 ; 

surrender of, 159. 
Burke, Edmund, 132, 134, 145. 
Burnside, General, 316. 
Burr, Aaron, 204. 

Cabeza de Vaca, 24. 

Cabinet, members of Washing- 
ton's, 185 (note). 

Cabot discovers the continent of 
America, 13, 14. 

Cabral, 15. 

Calhoun, John C, 235. 

California, name of, 266 (note) ; 
exploration of, 265 ; the missions 
in, 267 ; discovery of gold in, 
268 ; emigration to, 269 ; admitted 
to the Union, 270. 

Canada settled, 29. 

Canal, the Erie, 231. 

Canonicus, 70. 

Carolinas, the, settled, 93-95 ; con- 
stitution of the, 94 ; nullification 
in South Carolina, 236 ; seces- 
sion in South Carolina, 288. 

Carpenters' Hall, i 39. 

Carpetbaggers, 331. 



410 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Carroll, Charles, 147 (note), 233 
(note). 

Carroll, Bishop John, 144, 187. 

Cartier's explorations, 27. 

Carver, Governor, 68-69. 

Catholics, position of, in England, 
84 ; persecution of, in New 
York, 64. 

Cavaliers in Virginia, 56 (note). 

Census, the first, 187. 

Centennial Exhibition, 340. 

Cervera, Admiral, 366. 

Champlain, the explorer, 29. 

Charleston, South Carolina, set- 
tled, 94. 

Charter Oak, the, 83. 

Charter of Liberties, Dongan's, 63. 

Charters, colonial, 122. 

Chattanooga, siege of, 316. 

Cherry Valley, 164. 

China, " open door " in, 368 ; treaty 
with, 332. 

Chinese Exclusion Bill, 374. 

Cincinnati, 189. 

City of Mexico, fall of, 261. 

Civil Rights Bill, 329. 

Civil-service reform, 335. 

Clark's victories in the West, 164. 

Clay, Henry, 230, 236, 272. 

Clayborne rebellion, the, 88. 

Cleveland, Grover, first adminis- 
tration of, 349-352 ; second ad- 
ministration of, 358-359. 

Cliff Dwellers, 45. 

Clinton, De Witt, 208 (note), 231. 

Clinton, George, 208. 

Coinage, decimal system of, 1S7, 
200. 

College, Georgetown, founded, 188; 
Harvard, founded, 126; Kings, 



founded, 126; Princeton, found- 
ed, 127; William and Mary, 
founded, 129; Yale, founded, 
126. 

Colonies, life in, 122-129; resist 
taxation without representation, 
133 ; declare themselves inde- 
pendent, 146. 

Colorado, 340. 

Columbia river named, 203. 

Columbia, South Carolina, burned, 

324- 

Columbian Exposition, 356. 

Columbus, birth, voyages, and 
death, 5-13. 

Commerce, restrictions on colonial, 
130; embargo on, 205. 

Common Sense, Paine's, 146. 

Compact, the Pilgrim, 68. 

Compromise, the, of 1850, 271 ; 
the Missouri, 225. 

Compromises of the Constitution, 
180. 

Confederation, the New England, 
72 ; articles of, 177. 

Congress, the Albany, 114; First 
Continental, 138; Second Con- 
tinental, 142. 

Connecticut, settled, 80 ; constitu- 
tion of, 80 ; Andros and the 
charter of, 83. 

Constantinople, fall of, 3. 

Constitution, the .,United States, 
386; adopted, 179; first ten 
amendments to, 180; Thirteenth 
Amendment to, 328 ; Four- 
teenth Amendment to, 329; 
Fifteenth Amendment to, 336. 

Constitution and Guerriere, 213. 

Convention, the Albany, 114. 



INDEX 



411 



Conway Cabal, the, 157 (note). 
Cornwallis, 151, 153, 154, 169, 171 ; 

surrender of, 172. 
Coronado, expedition of, 24. 
Cortes, 22. 

Cotton gin invented, 190. 
Crisis of 1837, 240; of 1S57, 285 ; 

oi 1873, 33^-^ of 1893, 358- 
Croatoan, 34. 
C uba, discovered by Columljus, 1 2 ; 

revolutions in, 361 ; destruction 

of Maine \n Havana harbor, 361. 
Cumberland Road, 228. 
Custer, General, death of, 341. 

Dale, governor in Virginia, 53. 

Davenport, Rev. John, 81. 

Davis, Captain John, 33. 

Davis, Jefferson, president of 
Confederate states, 289. 

De Ayllon, 23. 

Debts, payment of the, 186. 

Declaration of Independence, 146, 
381. 

De Gourgues's revenge, 32. 

De Grasse, 173. 

De Kalb, 155. 

De la Salle, 104. 

Delaware, Lord, 53. 

Delaware, settled by the Swedes, 
92 ; captured by the Dutch, 92; 
taken by the English, 92 ; bought 
by I'enn, 93. 

Democrats, name of the, 247 (note). 

De Narvaez, 23. 

De Soto, expedition of, 25; dis- 
covers the Mississippi, 25. 

Detroit founded by Cadillac, 107. 

Deza, 9. 

Dewey, Admiral, 362. 



Division of the world, 14. 

Dongan, (iovernor, 63. 

Dorchester Heights, 145. 

Dorr rebellion, the, 249. 

Douglas, Stephen A., and Kansas- 
Nebraska Bill, 276; supports the 
Union, 295 (note). 

Drake, voyage of, 32. 

Dred Scott case, 283. 

Duluth founded, 107. 

Dutch in New Netherlands, 58. 

Eads jetties, 344. 

Early's raid, 322. 

Edison's inventions, 343. 

Electoral, commission, 341; count, 
bill, 351. 

Electric telegraph, the, 250. 

Emancipation Proclamation, Lin- 
coln's, 311. 

Embargo, the, 205. 

Emigration to the West, 228. 

Elndicott, Governor, 71, 73 (note). 

English explorations, 32-35 ; first 
permanent English settlement, 
52. 

Era of good feeling, 223. 

Ericson, Leif, i, 2. 

Ericsson, John, 306. 

Erie canal, 231. 

Ether, discovery of, 264. 

Exeter, New Hampshire, 78. 

Exhibition, the Atlanta, 357 ; the 
Centennial, 340 ; the Chicago, 

356. 
Express business established. 245. 

Faneuil Hall, 213. 

Farragut captures New Orleans, 

309- 



412 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Federal Elections Bill, repeal of, 

358- 

Federalists, the, 185, 195, 197. 

Field, Cyrus W., 332. 

" Fifty-four forty or fight ! " 255. 

Fillmore, administration of, 271- 
275. 

Fires, great, ^3^. 

Fisheries dispute, 334. 

Fitch, John, 206. 

Flag, American, adopted, 159. 

Florida, discovery of, 21 ; Narvaez 
in, 24; De Soto in, 25; French 
in, 30 ; purchased by United 
States, 224 ; admitted to the 
Union, 271 (note). 

Fort Amsterdam, 61 ; Caroline, 
31, 32; Crown Point, 157; 
Donelson, 306; Duquesne, 113; 
Henry, 306; McAllister, 320; 
McHenry, 218; Meigs, 215; 
Moultrie, 145, 146; Necessity, 
113; Niagara, 118; Orange 
(Albany), 60; Pitt (Pittsburg), 
118; Stanwix, 159; Sumter, 290; 
Ticonderoga, 118, 141, 157; 
Washington, 150; William Henry, 
116; William and Mary, 139. 

France, explorations by, 26-33 ; 
first permanent settlement by, 
29; wars between England and, 
in America, 108-121 ; recog- 
nizes our independence, 161 ; 
aids us in the Revolution, 
160 (note), 161 ; trouble with, 
197 ; sells Louisiana, 202 ; pre- 
sents Statue of Liberty, 350. 

Franciscans and Marco Polo, 4; 
the, 15 (note), 25, 37, 39; in 
California, 267, 268 (note). 



Franklin, Benjamin, 114, 127, 144, 

160. 
Free trade, 230. 
Freedmen's Bureau, 329. 
Fremont, 259. 
Friends, the, or Quakers, 73, 97, 

98. 
Frobisher's voyage, 32. 
Fugitive Slave Law, 273. 
Fulton's steamboat, 206. 
Fundamental Orders, The, 80. 
Fur trade, the, 204. 

Gadsden Purchase, 275. 

Gage, General, 138 (note), 140, 
142. 

Galitzin, Prince, 189. 

Garfield and Arthur, administra- 
tion of, 346-349 ; assassinated, 
346. 

Garrison, William Lloyd, 237. 

Gaspee, the, destroyed, 136. 

Gates, General, 159, 169. 

Genet, " Citizen," 191. 

George III, 133 (note), 148. 

Georgia, settlement of, 99. 

Gibault, Father, 164. 

Gilbert's voyages, t^Z- 

Gin, the cotton, 190. 

Gnupsson, Eric, i. 

Gold, discovery of, in California, 
268. 

Goodyear and India, rubber, 264. 

Gorges, Sir F., 77. 

Gosnold's voyage, 35. 

Grant, General, in Mexican War, 
262 (note) ; in Civil War, 308, 
3^5' 316, 317. 322, y-Z\ admin- 
istration of, 333-341. 

Green Mountain Boys, 142, 158. 



INDEX 



413 



Greene, General, 170-172. 
Guam annexed, 142. 

"Hail Columbia," song of, 197 
(note). 

Hale, Nathan, 149, 151 (note). 

Halleck, General, 303. 

Hamilton, first secretary of the 
treasury, 185; pays United 
States debts, 186; killed in duel, 
204. 

Hancock, General, 345. 

Hancock, John, 140. 

Harmer, General, 188. 

Harrison, Benjamin, administra- 
tion of, 353-356- 

Harri.son, General W. H., at Tippe- 
canoe, 210. 

Harrison and Tyler, administra- 
tion of, 247-253. 

Hartford convention, 222. 

Hartford founded, 80. 

Harvard College, 126. 

Hawaii, independence of, 357 ; 
annexed, 357. 

Hayes, administration of, 342- 

345- 
Hayne, Senator, 235. 

Hennepin, Father, 104. 

Henry, Patrick, 133, 138. 

Herkimer, General, 159 (note). 

Hessians, 152. 

Hobkirks Hill, 170. 

Hobson, 364. 

Homestead strike, the, 355. 

Hood, General, 319, 320. 

Hooker, General, 314. 

Hooker, Rev. Thomas, 80. 

House of Burgesses, 56. 

Houston, Sam, 252 (note). 



Howe, Elias, and sewing machine, 

264. 
Howe, General, 148. 
Hudson's voyage, 58. 
Hughes, Archbishop, 294. 
Huguenots, 30. 
Hull, Captain Isaac, 213. 
Hull, General, at Detroit, 212. 
Hutchinson, Mrs. Anne, 72, 90. 

Iberville, 107. 

Idaho, 354. 

Illinois country, Clark's expedi- 
tion to, 164. 

Impeachment of President John- 
son, 331. 

Impressment of American sea- 
men, 209. 

Indentured servants, 55. 

Independence, Declaration of, 
146, 381. 

Independent Treasury system, 

243- 
Indiana, 222. 

Indians, the, 44-49. 

Indies, the, 3. 

Interstate Commerce Act, 350. 

Intolerable Acts, The Five, 137. 

Inventions, great, 263-264. 

Iowa, 271. 

Isabella, Queen, 9, 10 (note). 

Jackson, (ieneral, at New Orleans, 
219; administration of, 234- 

239- 
Jackson, Stonewall, 296, 302, 304, 

3^3- 
Jamestown, 51, 52. 

Japan, treaty with, 279. 

Jasper, Sergeant, 146, 168. 



414 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Jay's treaty, 192. 

Jefferson, drafts Declaration of 
Independence, 147 ; administra- 
tion of, 199-209; on slavery, 
208. 

Jesuits, the, in Florida, 37 ; in 
New France, 38, 39, 40, 41, 1 01 ; 
in Maine, 42, 43 ; in California, 
266. 

Johnson, administration of, 327- 

33-- 
Johnston, General A. S., 306, 308. 

Johnston, General J. F., 316, 318. 

Johnstown flood, 353. 

Jolliet and Marquette, 102-103. 

Jones, Paul, 167. 

Kalb, Baron I)e, 155. 
Kansas, struggle for, 276, 277. 
Kansas-Nebraska Bill, 276. 
Kearny, General Philip, 304. 
Kearny, General Stephen, 258. 
Kearsarge and Alabama, the, 321. 
Kentucky, settled, 188; admitted 

to the Union, 188. 
Kentucky resolutions, the, 197. 
" King " Philip's War, 74. 
Know-Nothing party, 280. 
Knox, General, 185. 
Kosciuszko, I 55. 

Labor Law, Alien Contract, 348. 

I^abor troubles, 342. 

Lafayette, General, in Revolution, 

154, 157 (note), 162, 172; visits 

America, 228. 
Land cessions by the states, 176. 
La Salle, 104. 
Las Casas, friend of the Indians, 

\\. 



Laudonniere, 31. 

Lee, General Charles, 150, 151. 

Lee, General Robert E., 302, 303, 
304> 3^3^ 314, 318. 322,325. 

Lee, Richard Henry, 146. 

Leif Ericson, i, 2. 

Leisler, Jacob, 63. 

Leopard and Chesapeake, 205. 

Lewis and Clark's exploration, 
203. 

Liberator, the, 237. ■• 

Lincoln, Abraham, debate of, 
with Douglas, 285 ; administra- 
tion of, 290-326 ; assassination 
of, 326. 

Lincoln, General, 168. 

London Company, the, 50. 

Londonderry, settlement of, 78. 

Longstreet, General, 305. 

Louisiana, purchase of, 202. 

Louisburg, fall of, 1 1 1 , 117, 118. 

Lovejoy, death of, 237 (note). 

Lyon, General, 298. 

McClellan, General, 297. 
McCormick reaper, 263. 
Mcl'onough, Commodore, 218. 
McD well, General, 296. 
McKin.'y, administration of, 360- 

370 ; assassination of, 370. 
Madison, administration of, 209- 

22'^. 

Magellan, 19. 

Maijie, destruction of the, 361. 
Maine, settlement of, 78 ; ad- 
mitted to Union, 79, 226 (note). 
Manhattan, purchase of, 61. 
Marco Polo, travels of, 5. 
Marietta, settlement at, 189. 
Marion, General, 171. 



INDEX 



415 



Mark, Father, or Friar Marcos, 24. 

Marquette, Father, 102. 

Marshall, John, 199. 

Maryland, grant of, 85 ; settle- 
ment of, 86 ; Toleration Act of, 
86. 

Mason and Dixon's line, 98 
(note). 

Mason, Captain John, 77. 

Mason and Slidell, 299. 

Massachusetts, Plynnouth settled, 
68; bay colony settled, 70. 

Massasoit, 70, 74. 

Mayflower^ the, 68. 

Meade, General, 314. 

Menendez in Florida, 31. 

Merrimac, or Virginia, and Moni- 
tor, 305. 

Mexico, war with, 256-262. 

Michigan, 241. 

Mint, United States, established, 
187. 

Mississippi river discovered, 26 ; 
explored, 102; opening of,, in 
Civil War, 309, 310 ; Fads jet- 
ties, 344. 

Mississippi ceded to United States, 
177. 

Missouri admitted to the Union, 
226. 

Missouri Compromise, the, 225; 
repealed, 277. 

Mobile founded, 107. 

Monroe, administration of, 223- 
228 ; Doctrine, 226. 

Montana, 354. 

Montcalm, General, T17, iiS, 119. 

Montesino, Father Antonio, 13. 

Montgomery's expedition against 
Quebec, 144. 



Montreal named, 28. 

Morgan, Creneral, in Revolution, 
171. 

Mormons, the, 244. 

Morris, Robert, 152, 173. 

Morse invents the electric tele- 
graph, 250. 

Morton discovers surgical use of 
ether, 265. 

Moultrie, Colonel, 145. 

Mound Builders, 45. 

Mowing machine, 263. 

Mutiny Act, 134. 

Napoleon, 202, 210. 
Narvaez, expedition of, 23. 
National banks, 243. 
National Road, 228. 
Navigation Acts, 57, 130. 
Nebraska, 276, 277. 
Negro rule in South, 330. 
Negro slavery, introduction of, in 

Virginia, 56. 
Negro slaves emancipated, 311, 

328. 
Neutrality proclamation, 192. 
New Albion, 33. 

New England Confederation, 72. 
New Hampshire, 77. 
New Haven, settlement of, 81. 
New Jersey, settlement of, 65-67. 
New Mexico, 262. 
New Netherlands, 58. 
New Orleans, 107, 309. 
New York, 58. 
New York City, 61. 
Newport, attack on, 161. 
Non-Intercourse Act, 206. 
North, the, in the Civil \Yar, 

292. 



4l6 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



North Carolina, 95. 
North Dakota, 354. 
North, Lord, 175. 
Northmen, the i, 2. 
Northwest Territory, 176. 
Nova Scotia, no. 
Nullification in South Carolina, 
235- 

Oglethorpe colonizes Georgia, 
99. 

Ohio Company, the, 112. 

Ohio, first settlement of, 189; 
admission of, 201. 

Oklahoma, 353. 

Omnibus Bill, 272. 

Ordinance of Northwest Terri- 
tory (1787), 176. 

Oregon, exploration of, 203, 204 ; 
settlement of, 253. 

Osceola, 239. 

Otis, James, and writs of assist- 
ance, 131. 

Pacific ocean, discovery of, 18 ; 

name of, 19 ; railroad, 335. 
Paine's Common Sense, 146. 
Pan-American Congress, 354. 
Panic of 1837, 240 ; of 1857, 285; 

of 1873, 338 ; of 1893, 358. 
Paper money, 153. 
Paris, treaty of, 120, 366. 
Patroons, the, 61. 
Peninsular Campaign, the, 301. 
Penn, William, 96. 
Pennsylvania, settlement of, 96 ; 

University of, founded, 127. 
Pension Act, 355. 
Pequot War, the, 82. 
Perez, Juan, 9. 



Perry's victory on lake Erie, 215; 

Commodore M. C, treaty with 

Japan, 279. 
Personal Liberty Laws, 273. 
Petition, right of, 238. 
Philadelphia settled, 98. 
Philippines, purchase of, 366. 
Philip's, " King," War, 74. 
Phonograph, the, 344. 
Physical features of the United 

States, 181-184. 
Pickett, General, 314. 
Pierce, administration of, 276- 

283. 
Pilgrims, the, 67. 
Pinckney, Charles C, 196. 
Pitt, William, 117. 
Pittsburg, 118. 
Plymouth Company, the, 50. 
Plymouth settled, 68. 
Pocahontas, 54. 

Polk, administration of, 253-270. 
Polygamy, laws against, 347. 
Ponce de Leon, 21. 
Pontiac, conspiracy of, 120. 
Pony express, 246. 
Pope Alexander VI, 14. 
Pope, Demarcation Line of the, 14. 
Pope, General, 303. 
Popham colony, the, 51. 
Port Hudson, 316. 
Port Royal, 28, 29 (note). 
Porto Rico, annexation of, 366. 
Postage, cheap, 34S. 
Powhatan, 53 (note), 54 (note). 
Presidential Succession Act, 350. 
Pring, Martin, voyage of, 35. 
Privateers, the, 299. 
Protection, 229, 230. 
Providence, settlement of, 90. 



INDEX 



417 



Pulaski, Count, 155, 168. 
Puritans, the, 70. 

Quakers, the, 73. 

Quebec Act, the, 121. 

Quebec, founding of, 29; Mont- 
gomery's attack on, 144; cap- 
ture of, 1 19. 

Railroad, the first, 233 ; transcon- 
tinental, 335. 

Raisin River Massacre, 214. 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, ^t,- 

Reaper, McCormick's, 263. 

Reciprocity, 355. 

Reconstruction Acts, 330. 

Republican party, the first, 185 
(note) ; the present, 277. 

Resumption of specie payment, 

345- 
Revere, Paul, 14. 
Rhode Island, settlement of, 90 ; 

religious toleration in, 91 ; Dorr 

rebellion in, 249. 
Ribaut, John, 30. 
Rice culture in South Carolina, 95. 
Richmond, capital of Confederacy, 

296; evacuation of, 325. 
Road, National or Cumberland, 

228. 
Rochambeau, General, 173 (note), 

174; statue to, 174 (note). 
Rolfe, Captain John, 54. 
Roosevelt, administration of, 370. 
Rosecrans, General, 316. 
Rubber, vulcanization of, discov- 
ered, 264. 

St. Augustine settled, 31. 
St. Marys, founding of, 86. 



" Salary grab," the, 337. 

Salem, Massachusetts, settled, 71; 

witchcraft in, 75. 
Salt Lake City, 245. 
Samoan dispute, 356 (note). 
Sampson, Rear Admiral, 365. 
San Francisco, 269. 
Santa Fe founded, 25, 258. 
Santangel, 9. 
Savannah, settled, 99 ; captured 

by the British, 168 ; taken by 

Sherman, 320. 
Scandals, era of, 337. 
Schenectady burned, 108. 
Schley, Rear Admiral, 365. 
Schuyler, General, 157, 158, 159. 
Scott, Dred, 283. 
Scott, General, in Mexican War, 

258. 
Search, right of, 205, 299 (note). 
Secession, of South Carolina, 288 ; 

of Southern States, 289; the 

war and, 326. 
Sedition Law, the, 197. 
Sew^ard, W. H., 299 (note). 
Sewing machine invented, 264. 
Shays' rebellion, 177. 
Shenandoah valley, Jackson in, 

302 ; Sheridan in, 322. 
Sheridan, General, in Shenandoah 

valley, 322 ; famous ride of, 

322. 
Sherman, General, march to the 

sea, 320 ; in the Carolinas, 324. 
Sherman Act, the, 355 ; repeal of, 

358. 
Silver, Bland-Allison Act, 339 ; 
Sherman Act, 355 ; repeal of 
Sherman Act, 358 ; free silver 
question, 360. 



4l8 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Silver, demonetization of, 339. 

Slavery, introduced into Virginia, 
56; in all the colonies, 56; pro- 
hibited in Northwest Territory, 
177; discussion of, 224; aboli- 
tion of, 311, 328. 

Sloat, Commodore, 259. 

Smith, Captain John, 52. 

Smith, founder of Mormonism, 
244. 

Soto, De, 25. 

South Carolina, settlement and 
colonization, 93 ; fundamental 
constitutions, 94; nullification 
in, 236 ; secession of, 28S. 

South Dakota, admission of, 354. 

Spanish explorations, 21-26; set- 
tlements, 12, 21-26, 31. 

Specie payment, resumption of, 

345- 
Spoils System, 235. 
Squatter sovereignty, 276. 
Stamp Act, the, 132. 
Stamp Act Congress, 133. 
Standish, Myles, 70. 
Star of the West, the, 289. 
Star Spangled Banner," "The, 219. 
Stark, General John, 158. 
Stars and bars, the, 296. 
Statue of Liberty, 349. 
Steamboat, the first, 206. 
Stephens, Alexander H., 289 (note), 

293 (note). 
Steuben, Baron, 155. 
Strike, great railroad, 343 ; the 

Homestead, 355. 
Stuart, General J. E. B., 303 

(note). 
Stuyvesant, Peter, governor, 62. 
Subtreasury plan, 243. 



Sullivan, General John, 162, 164. 
Sumner, Charles, 282. 
Supreme Court, the, 180 j deci- 
sions of Marshall, 199. 
Sutter, Captain, 268. 
Swedes in America, the, 92. 

Talavera, 9. 

Taney, Chief Justice, 284 (note). 

Tariff act, the first, in 1789, 187; 
of 1816, 230; of 1824, 230; of 
Abominations (1828), 229-231 ; 
of 1833, 237; of 1861 (Morrill), 
297 (note); of 1883, 347; of 1885 
(Mills), 352; of 1890 (McKinley), 
355 ; of 1894 (Wilson), 356; of 
1897 (Dingley), 360. 

Taxation without representation, 

Taylor, General, in Mexican War, 

257- 

Taylor and Fillmore's adminis- 
tration, 271-275. 

Tecumseh, 210. 

Telegraph, the electric, 250 ; the 
Atlantic, 332. 

Telephone, the, 343. 

Tennessee, ceded to United States, 
177 (note), 188 ; admitted to 
Union, 188. 

Tenure of Office Act, 331. 

Texas, emigration to, 251 ; inde- 
pendence of, 252 ; and Mexican 
War, 252 ; admitted to Union, 

253- 
Thames, battle of the, 217. 
Thomas, General G. H., 316, 319, 

320. 
Ticonderoga, Fort, 141. 
Tilden, nomination of, 341. 



INDEX 



419 



Tobacco in Virginia, 55. 

Tories of the Revolution, 145. 

Toscanelli, 7. 

Town meeting, the. 70. 

Towns, absence of, in the South, 
129. 

Townshend Acts, the, 134 ; repeal 
of, 136. 

Trade routes to the Indies, 3, 4. 

Trade with the Indies, 3. 

Treaty of France and England 

(1763), 120; with France (i77^)» 

161; of peace (1783)' ^7S'' the 

Jay (1795), 192; with Algiers, 

193; with Spain, 193; of Ghent 

(18 14), 220; Webster-Ashbur- 

ton (1842), 249; Oregon (1846), 

255; with Mexico (1848), 261; 

with Japan (1854), 279; with 

China (1868), 332; Washington 

(1871), 334; with Spain (1899), 

361-366. 

Tn-nf affair, the. 299. 

Tripoli, war with, 200. 

Tyler, administration of. 247-253. 

Uncle Tom's Cabin, 275. 

Underground railroad, 274. 

University of Pennsylvania 
founded, 127. 

Utah, Mormons in, 244 ; admis- 
sion of, 354. 

Valley Forge, 157 (note). 

Van Buren, administration of, 

240-246. 
Vasco da Gama, 13, 15. 
Venezuela controversy, 358. 
Vermont admitted, 188. 
Verrazano, 26, 59 (note). 



Versailles, treaty of, 175. 

Vespucius, Americus, 16. 

Vicksburg, fall of, 314. 

Vigo, Francois, 165 (note). 

Vinland. 2. 

Virginia, settlement and coloniza- 
tion, 50. 

Virginia and Kentucky resolu- 
tions, 197. 

Virginia, the, or Merrimac, 305. 

Waldseemiiller, 18. 

Wampum, 47. 

War, King William's, 108 ; of 
the Spanish Succession, no; of 
the Austrian Succession, no; the 
Seven Years', in; on African 
pirates, 200 ; with Spain, 362. 

Washington, capital of United 
States, 198; burning of, 218; 
state of, admitted, 354 ; monu- 
ment, 349. 

Washington, General, in colonial 
wars, 113; in Revolution, 142- 
174; in Constitutional Conven- 
tion, 178; administration of, 
185-195; death of, 198. 

Wayne, General, at Stony Point, 
162; and the Indians, 162 
(note). 

Weather Bureau, 338. 

Webster, Daniel, replies to Hayne, 
236; on tariff of 1816, 230; 
favors protective tariff, 230 ; 
and Calhoun, 230 ; on Fugitive 
Slave Law, 272 (note). 

Webster- A shburton treaty, 249. 

West, settlement of, 228. 

West Virginia admitted, 293. 

Whigs, the, 247. 



420 ESSENTIALS OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



Whisky rebellion, 189 ; ring, 237- 
Whitman, Marcus, 255 (note). 
Whitney, Eli, 190. 
Williams, Roger, 71, 90. 
Wilmot Proviso, 262. 
Winthrop, Governor, 71. 
Winthrop, John, Jr., 80. 
Wisconsin, admission of, 271. 
Witchcraft, the Salem, 75. 
Withdrawal of Federal troops 
from the South, 342. 



Wolfe, (reneral, at Quebec, 119. 
World's Fair, the, at Chicago, 

356- 
Writs of assistance, 131. 
Wyoming, admission of, 354. 

X, Y, Z papers, the, 196. 

York, Duke of, and New Nether- 
lands, 62 ; and Delaware, 93. 
Yorktown, surrender of, 172. 



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